His Butler, Rebellious
by Jessaminebell
Summary: An odd sickness is spreading through London. Family members are brutally killing each other with no recollection of the act. Can these cruel deaths be explained? If anyone is capable of solving such a mystery, the Earl Phantomhive is. But what if he becomes affected by such an illness himself..?
1. Chapter 1

"Honestly, how do you expect me to learn this piece when my fingers are cramped?" The bow held tightly by the boy was slammed angrily down to the desk. Ciel retreated to his chair as Sebastian stared on.

"I'm done with lessons for today." The boy declared as he shoved his face into a nearby newspaper. He couldn't begin to express his hatred of learning the composition for the bloody useless instrument. Truly, what was the use of such a skill?

The butler felt a smile come onto his face as he placed down his baton as well. The man removed the glasses from his eyes as he looked towards his Lord.

"Master, the of learning of an instrument is what any noble man or woman of your position would do. It is a symbol of intelligence and diligence of hard work. If the violin is not the instrument you-"

"I will take my lunch in here, Sebastian." The young lord cut the man off from his sentence without a single look up from the paper held in his hands. It was an obvious signal to drop the entire conversation, and the butler took the hint. Sebastian collected the bow and rosin as well as the clean-shaven instrument itself. With a great deal of care, he placed all objects into the case next to the array of musical notes on paper.

"Yes, my lord." It was best not to argue anymore with the stubborn boy. They would continue with the lesson the next day, so any complaints by the man could be voiced then. Perhaps his master would finally accept the fact that he was tone deaf.

"Ah, yes. My lord, a letter has arrived." Sebastian was reminded of the piece of mail recently delivered. The butler reached towards his pocket to extend the letter towards his master.

Ciel placed down his newspaper as he accepted the note.

"I had expected as much. You're aware of the recent string of odd deaths, are you not?" Indeed, the letter was a long time coming. Scotland Yard was as useless as ever.

Sebastian gathered the violin case as well as papers as he shook his head.

"Odd deaths, you say? I hadn't heard of the sort." When wasn't there unexplained activity, though? The demon was always hearing of odd events in which humans were involved. They never ceased to entertain him.

Ciel smirked.

"Of course you haven't. Scotland Yard has only been releasing information on the deaths of certain individuals, saying they were simply murders with a guilty party. That's not true at all." Ciel placed down the cover of the newspaper towards the butler. The headline, "Murder in Western District" was written in rather annoying bold print. The smile on his face hinted of a certain sick pleasure in the mystery.

"Apparently the culprits are all close friends or relatives of the victim. There is no reason for the murderer to kill them, yet they are usually found in brutal deaths. Even stranger, the suspects have no recollection of the atrocity they had committed and all act completely innocent."

Sebastian gave a rather confused look to Ciel.

"Couldn't they just be acting? A brutal murder almost always results in the death penalty. They could be trying to avoid death." It was a common practice among the humans. They were all so afraid of death that any excuse to get out of it would be accepted.

Ciel shook his head.

"No, I don't believe so. One of the victims was a two month old baby. After finding out of what they had done, the parents..." The boy's eyes drooped slightly at the image going through his mind.

"The parents killed each other in hysteria over what they had done."

Ciel shook off the thought as he opened the letter sitting in his hand. He skimmed over the refined handwriting of the queen as her voice appeared in his mind.

_To my cute little boy, _

_ I am sure you have been made aware of the deaths spreading around London. The atrocities being committed are far worse than I have seen in years. Parents killing children and siblings turning on one another is not what anyone would wish for. I ask for your help in solving the peculiar murders in this fair city. A recent victim, __Everetta De Ferreis, a young lady of a similar nobility to yours has survived an attack by her cousin. I believe she holds the answers all of London seeks in solving this case. _

_ With Love, _

_ Victoria_

Ciel folded the letter back down to half it's size as he stood from his chair.

"Master?" Sebastian watched as the boy strode across the room. His eyes lie affixed to the door in the distance a he walked forward.

"Prepare a carriage. We have somewhere to be."


	2. Chapter 2

The swaying of the boy's hair seemed rather pronounced as the carriage bounded over various rocks along the country road. His deep scowl seemed to portray his displeasure in the far-out reach of the manor.

"And just why hasn't this road been maintained? What rubbish." Ciel growled towards his butler.

Sebastian only let a smile work it's way onto his face.

"The winter was quite abnormal this year, letting the water freeze deep within the roads. It's no wonder they're in such bad condition." The demon took a glance out of his window.

"Though, I would have assumed her family to patch any roads leading towards the manor. It's only common courtesy to the guests." There was no helping it. Perhaps the recent events of the assault had preoccupied them.

"Perhaps you can use the extra time to review the case." Sebastian suggested with a smile. Somehow, the action only resulted in a build-up of annoyance in Ciel. The young boy glared towards him.

"Very well. Our main goal for this trip is to learn of the incident pertaining to Lady Everette De Ferreis." Ciel withdrew a slip of paper from his pocket. He eyed the scrap with no true interest.

"First cousin of Andrew De Ferreis, her assaulter, she is the only child of the late lady De Ferreis and her father, David De Ferreis." Ciel paused for just a moment as Sebastian cut into him.

"Her cousin assaulted her?" Humans didn't usually harm kin. It was a sort of unspoken rule to remain close to one's family no matter the circumstances. To make such a cross into the darkness, the boy must have had strong reasons.

Ciel nodded.

"Yes." The boy flipped the packet of papers to the second page.

"Apparently the two were childhood friends as well. Lord David had no obvious reasons to touch her, yet when the authorities arrived, it was almost as though he was in a blind rage." Ciel let the papers fall onto one another. His eyes wandered out the window towards the incoming roof on the horizon.

_One does not fly into such an anger with no trigger. Either certain words were exchanged between the two, or dirty work is in play. It's difficult to tell which one now, though. _

The faded brick of the De Ferreis manor came into view, making it quite obvious of the house's age. The windows shone brilliantly in the morning sun, yet no figures were seen within. As the carriage pulled even closer, the front garden of the home was revealed. Ciel narrowed his eyes towards the curling and dead flowers that looked almost forgotten. The weeds littering the patches of soil were horribly overgrown, almost to the point that a blade would not be able to slice through it.

"It seems their servants are as incompetent as yours, Milord." Sebastian sighed to himself. But he was at least able to give Finny small tasks to be completed. Not even a hint of effort seemed to be put into the saving the garden. Ciel narrowed his eyes towards a rather strange patch of earth towards the back of the garden.

The unsightly mess of the entire square formation was in complete contrast to the evergreen bush hanging a white flower from it's branches. The boy brushed the small plant off as the carriage doors opened.

"Good morning, My Lord." The foreign accent of a certain man made it's way into Ciel's ears. He turned his head to confirm the suspicion poking in him.

"Lau!? What are you doing here?" The sudden appearance of the Chinese nobleman was not something that Ciel would have expected. He always seemed to pop up at the oddest of places. As always, the small mute girl was at his side. RanMao stood next to Lau with a blank stare in her large amber eyes.

"I'm here on business, My Lord." He replied with a usual smile.

Ciel's exiting of the carriage caused both of the individuals to back up. The small boy felt rather shameful as RanMao wrapped a leg around Lau's leg. The older man didn't seem to notice, as he kept a straight face.

Ciel shook his head in disgust.

"Business? And just what business do you have here?" Was he playing another one of the many games he had? Ciel didn't doubt it for a moment.

The man laughed rather loudly as he wrapped an arm around RanMao. The girl affectionately set her head to his chest.

"Believe it or not, My Lord, I do have other clients than yourself." With these words, the man turned on his heel. RanMao followed suite, eyes still stuck to Ciel.

Lau gave a wave towards the Earl as his steps hit the grass. No carriage in sight hinted of a long walk for the two.

"I'll be in touch with you later, My Lord. I'm sure the information I have will serve you well in this case." One thing Ciel despised was the vagueness that always came with the man. He could never really tell if Lau possessed any useful information. He was always a bargain.

"Shall we be going, Master?" Sebastian tore the blue eyes away from the fading backs of the Chinese nobles. The Young Earl nodded with narrowed eyes.

"Yes."

Sebastian rapt a light hand against the wood of the door. Within only a few seconds the old piece swung inwards to allow sight inside. A young maid answered, judging by the darkly colored outfit and submissive bow. Her bright smile set upon Ciel.

"Welcome to the De Ferreis manor, Earl Phantomhive. My master has been waiting for your safe arrival." She stepped aside to allow steps onto the marble foyer. Ciel's eyes darted around the dim manor in curiosity. Barely any lights were lit, giving the entire house a dark and isolate feeling. When paired with the dead garden, it seemed as though no one lived in the household.

"If you would please follow me, Lord." The young girl stepped on her heels towards the long staircase in the distance.

Ciel's eyes flashed towards his butler as an unspoken order was issued.

Sebastian cleared his throat as he strode towards the girl.

"If you don't mind my asking, Is there a reason the manor is so unkempt? The garden outside is rather.." The demon searched for the right words to describe the atrocity just sitting in the front of the house.

The smile dropped from the maid's lips. Her eyes shifted towards the steps the three began to climb.

"Ah, yes, the garden. You have heard of the condition of My Lord, have you not?" She took a moment to glance over to the red-orange eyes staring into her.

"No, I can't say I have."

The maid gave herself a sad smile.

"His health has been failing him recently. The entire family is in a state of mourning as it seems as though My Lord is on his death bed." She shook her head, various bangs on her head shifting in the disturbance.

Ciel placed a hand to his mouth in silent thought.

_I was under the assumption the Lord De Ferreis was in good health. _

"The morale of all of the servants has dropped ever since he retired to his room so many weeks ago. They refuse to do anything but serve the Lord directly. Even if it means neglecting their own work."

Sebastian narrowed his eyes.

"His servants appreciate him to that extent?"

The girl nodded to agree with his words.

"My Master is a wonderful man. He is always kind and respectful to his servants, and we've never once had someone quit. Truly, this illness is not a punishment of any kind, for he has done nothing wrong." The girl seemed truly invested in the idea of her master's kindness. The demon could easily see the truth of her statements in her eyes.

The three arrived to the outside of a shut door. The young girl lightly touched the wood as her voice rang into the air.

"Master, Lord Phantomhive and his servant have arrived." With the announcement voiced, the woman opened the door for the both of the Phantomhives to enter. Ciel stepped in without any obvious hesitation.

As the maid had stated, the Earl De Ferreis lie alone to a large bed. The large frame towered above his shrinking figure. His grey hair was rather messy, hinting of his long stay on the mattress. His brown eyes shifted towards Ciel as a smile settled to his face.

"Lord Phantomhive. It's a pleasure." His utterance of these words only rewarded the man with a thick and harsh cough. His chest lurched forward as a hand came across his mouth.

"Grandfather! Please, do not push yourself!" The unnoticed presence of a small girl finally dawned upon Ciel. His eyes settled to a chair seated next to the bed on the far side. The feminine figure bending towards Lord De Ferreis was no doubt the girl both men had come to speak with.

Brown hair was tied to a high bun that let a stream of wavy locks down. The long bangs overshadowing the girl's face hid various bandages only seen with a close eye. The dark bruises lining her cheek were free in the air, as the hair had no room to hide them. The girl wore a rather loose green dress that did not truly show off her high class. Perhaps bandages under the clothing needed to be replaced with ease. Her green eyes darted towards Ciel and Sebastian in a sort of fear. The girl settled back to her seat with her eyes still kept to the duo. Her hand entwined with the Lord De Ferreis.

"Grandfather, who are these men?" She asked quietly.

Ciel stepped forward.

"I am Earl Ciel Phantomhive. Everetta De Ferreis, I presume?"

The slight nodding of Everetta confirmed the boy's guess.

"He's here to ask you a few questions, Eva." The hoarse voice of the man she held onto sounded throughout the room. Green eyes looked down towards her grandfather.

"Questions? I've already answered the questions the police-"

"We're not the police." Ciel interrupted the girl's statement, causing her eyes to once again dart over to him. She gave a look of distrust before the hand around hers tightened. She glanced back to the Lord De Ferreis. A small smile rest on his heavily wrinkled face.

"Go on, Eva. I promise you nothing will happen." With the added guidance from her grandfather, the girl was able to follow the two out of the room.


	3. Chapter 3

No eye contact was made between the Earl and the young girl sitting in the lone chair. Her evergreen eyes kept her sight towards the floor, pushing her brown bangs over all bandages. Anyone looking to her could almost forgot the brutal beating she had experienced.

"Excuse me, Mistress." A flash of black hit the young girl's eyes. She glanced up towards a smile sitting below sharp red-orange eyes. The attractive butler she had seen before now stood rather close to her seat.

"Yes?" She responded as her face remained glued towards his. She had to admit, none of her servants matched the beautiful of the one standing in front of her. Was he truly just a butler?

Without a word, the man placed a hand against her cheek.

"You seem rather pale, mistress. Are you feeling unwell?" The transformation of Sebastian's smile into smirk made Ciel's eyes roll. It was sickening to watch him flirt with the women so shamelessly, but he couldn't argue with the results.

A small blush came over the girl's cheeks as she flinched backwards.

"N-No, I'm fine. Please," She once again glanced away.

"Ask any questions. I would like to return to my grandfather." If she could do anything, the girl could be at the Lord's side in his final moments. She didn't want to miss such an important time.

Sebastian backed off as Ciel took his place. The two locked eyes only for a moment before the boy shifted his sights towards Eva.

"What type of relationship do you have with your cousin?" He would confirm his information with the girl before asking for any new facts. Sebastian had already done his job. It was now time for Ciel to act his part.

Eva rubbed the sleeve of her dress awkwardly.

"We were very close. As you may be aware, my entire extended family lives in this manor. We grew up as the others' only friend in the empty house. Other than my grandfather, David was the only one whom I enjoyed my time with." Once again, she avoided all eye contact.

Ciel nodded, his mind matching the facts as the truth.

"What were the two of you doing when it happened?" Ciel found a certain awkwardness in the words, "assault." With the girl, he couldn't be sure such a word would trigger any tears. After all, she seemed already so close to crying.

Everetta's muscles tensed.

"W-We were just talking like usual when he suddenly... He suddenly grabbed my arm. He swung his other hand around, and when it hit my face.." The expression on the girl's face contorted to that of horror. Even in continuing her story, no tears trailed down her face.

"He kept swinging his fist into my cheek no matter how I yelled, he never stopped. He yelled and yelled at me, "You don't deserve it! You don't deserve it!"" The girl shook her head at the traumatic experience.

"What did I do? Why did he suddenly attack me? I don't know what I did wrong..!"

Sebastian's eyes shifted towards his master's indifferent face.

Ciel ignored the obvious pain that was the expression of the girl. He dug his fingers deeper into the story.

"Everetta, is there any reason David would want you or your side of the family in a state of chaos?" Ciel took a seat across from the girl. His eyes focused in on her in deep thought.

The girl dropped her hand from her arm. She nodded slowly, almost as though she was hesitant to tell Ciel the reason.

"They're all speaking of the inheritance my grandfather will be leaving when he departs from this world. He's told the entire family that he does not wish to split his title between his two sons. He believes that one will simply usurp the other and steal away the family business. Because my father and uncle are twins, they are of equal age and equal chance of inheritance. My grandfather says he will decide who is more deserving of the family wealth and title when the last of his breath fades. My uncle's family and mine have been trying to win the favor of the man ever since. We look at each other as mere strangers at the dining table." She locked eyes with Ciel with a pleading look on her face.

"How could just money drive people to do such horrible things?"

Ciel did not have an answer for the girl. Desires drove humans to do atrocious acts; unexplainable acts. The very desire to live and humiliate his oppressors had driven the boy to form a contract with a demon, after all. He was in no position to speak of the subject.

The young earl flipped the police report to the last page. His eyes skimmed over the words.

"But it states here that a maid was present when David started the assault. She was the one to alert the police." He turned back to Eva.

"Why would David attack you in the middle of the day when others would be around to witness it? With you two on such good terms, he could have attacked you at a more opportune time." It was almost as the boy had wanted to be caught. It was the same with the other cases. Each murder happened in the day or in public places where others could witness it. Was it a warning?

"I don't know." The girl answered plainly and simply.

Ciel nodded, handing the packet of words towards his butler. Sebastian took the paper without a word. The Young Earl stood from his chair at Eva's careful watch.

"Thank you for your time, Lady De Ferreis." A coat was slid back onto the Lord's shoulders from his silent butler. The two worked their way to the door with only a few steps.

"I apologize in interrupting your time with Lord De Ferreis. David is behind bars, so you can rest easy-"

"Lord Phantomhive, please wait." Everetta's small request stopped Ciel's feet. His blank face glanced back to hers.

The teenage girl strode quickly up to the Lord as though she were afraid he would run away.

"Lord Phantomhive, may I request something of you?" Her small voice hinted of no malice, yet the small burning the boy saw in her eyes hinted of it. Perhaps his assumption of the girl being rather frail and shy was wrong. Eva straightened her posture.

"Lord Phantomhive, you are aware of the position I am in. Because of this, I ask for a temporary stay in your manor. Both my parents are away on business, leaving me as the only one of the family present." Her eyes flitted towards the closed door.

"I do not trust my other cousins. I fear they will finish what their brother had started. Please, My Lord, I beg only this of you."

Ciel felt rather pressured by the large green eyes burning with the will to live. The assault had obviously not dissolved the girl's need to survive.

An unheard grown erupted in his mind as sympathy took the best of him.

"What of your grandfather? Did you not say he is close to the end of his life?"

Eva felt a flash of guilt that was soon pushed far back into her mind.

"His ending life is not more important than the preserving of mine. It pains me to leave, but it must be done if I am to feel at ease."

Ciel didn't need to turn to know a smirk now sat upon Sebastian's face. The butler was so very predictable.

The Earl sighed loudly, turning to the servant standing behind him.

"Sebastian, do we have a guest room that is prepared?" In this question, a small smile of relief came to Eva's lips.

The demon shook his head, opening his mouth to expand upon his gesture.

"Not at the moment. However, it would only take several minutes to prepare one-"

"That's fine. I am not ready to leave at this moment." Eva interjected into the sentence.

"I have more than a few things to do before leaving. Would it be possible for me to arrive tomorrow morning?"

_For a girl relying on the help of others, she's rather specific. _Ciel thought to himself. Despite his thoughts, a nod moved his head.

"Of course. Sebastian, let's go." He was rather tired of the dim house and the dying garden out front. It wasn't as though he was very excited to return to paperwork, though.

* * *

"Was it wise to accept the girl into the manor, sir? For all we know, she could have what drove her cousin to assault her. Assuming it's an illness, anyway." Sebastian opened the carriage door as he guided Ciel up with a single hand.

The Young Lord sighed with annoyance.

"It's of no concern to me. Though she's several years older than me, her build is not intimidating." He faced Sebastian with a teasing smirk.

"Or perhaps you're saying you could not put her down lest she face you." He enjoyed the small jabs, yet the man always came back with an equally burning remark. This time was no exception.

A large smile came to Sebastian's face.

"Of course not, My Lord. Be it a child or adult, I would have no difficulty in upholding my end of our contract. Perhaps you would find it fitting to remember that."

The smirk faded from Ciel's face. He turned his sights back to the window.

"How could I forget?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Out of all the criminals, only David had a reason to kill his cousin, and yet he did not complete the task. It is the only difference in the killings thus far." Ciel placed his head to the smooth porcelain just behind him. The warm water streaming over his chest felt rather good when compared to the chilly night.

"Not to mention the fact of the other incidents having murder weapons. Lord David beat the mistress with his bare fists alone." Sebastian added to the facts as he placed the bar of soap back to the towel. His eyes focused on Ciel's as the boy thought for a moment. The Young Lord blinked the water from his eyes.

"Going with this knowledge, I suspect David's assault of Lady De Ferreis was the main point this "illness" was trying to make. If there is someone manipulating others into completing these murders, his main focus must have been Everetta. Not only that, he wished for her to suffer." The boy stood from the water pooling in the tub. Almost as soon as he had, a towel was wrapped around his shoulders.

"Perhaps her uncle? He could want to intimidate his brother's family to stepping down from the inheritance." Sebastian ran another towel over Ciel's head to dry the still wet hair. Water droplets fell down to the draining water making barely a sound.

Ciel nodded.

"Yes, I would assume him or his wife. Either could be controlling the murderers, but by what means?" Mind control was a theory that Ciel would have kicked himself for thinking. The very thought seemed absolutely ridiculous. But... What else could he really think of? He decided to step away from the situation for the moment.

"Are the preparations for the guest room complete?" Everetta was to arrive quite early in the morning, so the boy was having trouble figuring how she would spend her day. He could just put Sebastian in charge of that.

The butler talked as he dressed the boy in the usual white pajamas.

"Yes. I've put the second floor room together. I hope you don't mind her having a room in such close proximity to yours." A slight smirk touched the man's lips.

"Don't be ridiculous." Ciel scoffed as he was helped out of the bath. The two began to walk from the room just as Mey-Rin entered. She was the one in charge of cleaning the bathroom after the nightly bath, and every time, she did a nearly good job of it. However, Sebastian had to go through and take care of the rest.

"Good night, Master." She spoke to the Young Lord as he exited the room, happy with the slight nod of acceptance he issued.

Before long, the two had arrived to the master bedroom. Ciel promptly sat down to the bed as Sebastian began his nightly routine of removing both rings and lone eye patch. The man placed all articles to a nearby nightstand with a peculiar sense of care.

"Speak to all the criminals involved in the murders as well as the suspects. Make a list of all the differences in each incident." Ciel pulled the blanket over himself as he placed his head to the pillow. The waving light of the candlestick Sebastian held illuminated the Demon's face in a rather eery way. His smirk accompanied a slight bow.

"Of course, My Lord. Have pleasant dreams, master."

Ciel was left alone to the pitch blackness that was his bedroom. His eyes drifted across the top of the bedpost and to the window.

_Nearly twenty murders taking place in the time span of a week. How many more before it ends? _He shifted around to face his body towards the moon in the sky. It captivated his eyes as the boy continued to argue with his thoughts.

_I'll need to question Everetta further. Perhaps when she feels indebted towards me she'll be more inclined to speak. __Sebastian should be able to gather more information from her as well. _

The shining moon hanging overcast by moving clouds faded along with the thousands of stars as the boy drifted into a dreamless sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

The chill of an early morning welcomed the girl as she stepped from the carriage that had carried her many miles over bumpy country roads and finally to a rather imposing manor. She found it hard to believe that a single young boy held this large and towering manor as his home.

"Welcome, Lady De Ferreis." Eva's evergreen eyes shifted towards the familiar butler clad in all black. His usual devilish smile was set upon her.

"My Lord has been waiting for your arrival. Please," He extended a hand towards the nearby open door of the manor.

"Follow me."

With such a welcome, how could the girl not follow his words? Everetta's sky blue heels clicked as she strode towards him.

"If you don't mind me saying, My lady," Sebastian looked down to the belle dress wrapping around the girl's thin figure. The intricate pattern of black lace wrapping around the collar and sleeve ends fit a woman of her position. It was quite contrasted to her appearance the day before. Perhaps she was getting her lost confidence back.

"Your face is shining brightly today."

The butler had looked past the fact of the dress and to that of her face. No long locks of brown obscured her large green eyes. Her hair was tied quite tightly into a bun. The various bruises lining her face were now accompanied by the white bandages.

The girl felt blush stain her face as she looked away.

"W-Why thank you. Is Lord Phantomhive available? I would like to speak with him." Both the servant and lady walked into the front room of the manor. The open windows streamed in a large amount of sunlight, making the use of candles redundant. Eva had to admit, this was quite different than that of her home.

"I'm afraid My Lord is busy with the case he continues to work on. He will not be available for quite some time in the day, though I have been told he will enjoy dinner with you." Sebastian slid the coat from the girl's shoulders. He directed a flat hand to his chest to accompany his bow.

"If I may, Lord Phantomhive has suggested a tour of the manor to occupy your time before tea." The large house would take up quite some time before the early morning tea, it seemed.

Everetta gave a smile at the thought of seeing the house more in-depth.

"Would it be too much trouble to stop at my room first? I would like to drop some things off." Perhaps she was implying the small handbag wrapped around her arm. The light blue nearly blended in with the azure of her dress.  
Sebastian nodded.

"Of course, My Lady."

* * *

_To the Queen's Guard Dog, _

_ I have been made aware of your nose digging into the recent string of unexplained murders. The scent is not one a normal dog could pick up on, but it seems as though you are not the mutt I assumed you to be, are you? Furthermore, for the safety of those around you as well as yourself, I insist your investigation ceases. I assure you, the ones who died well deserved their deaths, and that the killings will not continue so long as the people of London remain pure. Stop digging in the garbage can before you uncover the truth that __will become your__ undoing._

"Are they trying to intimidate me?" Ciel let the letter slide from his hand and onto the desk. His disinterested look towards his butler gave the man a smile. He picked the letter from the table to give it a closer look.

_ "_This letter alone tells us more about the murders than we knew before, don't you say?" Sebastian chuckled. In trying to deter the dog from the crime, the culprit only helped him along his way. Truly ironic.

_ "_How so?" Ciel stole the paper from Sebastian's hand to re-inspect it. Had he missed a rather large clue? That was impossible.

_ "_First of all, we now know that an individual is controlling the murders and that those of which deemed guilty are not acting on their own." The train of thought the butler was going down was picked up by the boy.

_ "_And that it _is _a single individual. The over-usage of the first person in this letter makes it quite evident. What of it?" Those two small facts truly didn't help them all that much. Did the man have more to expand upon?

"The letter itself is rather refined, wouldn't you say?" The butler skimmed his fingers over the type-written words. The paper was obviously of a high quality, along with the letter it came with. Not only that, the words used by the culprit were not exactly childish.

Sebastian stole another smirk towards his on-looking master.

"So we can assume that the culprit is of the higher class of London."

Ciel shook his head.

"Even still, that does not narrow it down." Ciel leaned back in his chair as his eyes traced to the window to his right. The afternoon light streamed in without any interruption, blinding him for a moment.

"Plenty of the nobles are half-sane, if that. The Viscount is always in consideration as well." He felt a small shiver at the distant memory of his night with that man. He was glad to be out of that atrocious dress as well.

"How was the tour with Lady Everetta?" It was always better to take a step back from such intense cases. It always gave the boy a better perspective when he looked to it once more.

Sebastian gained a smirk at the thought of the young girl.

"She seemed mesmerized with the advanced architecture and structure of the manor. So amazed that she spoke not a single word." It had not been the most exciting tour, but the girl herself had not been too much of a nuisance to the butler. He only wished he could have gotten more information from her.

"And to where does she reside now?" Ciel had asked the butler to keep charge of her the entire day and watch her at all times, but with the arrival of the letter, that plan had been cast aside.

"She retired to her room for the moment, but I shall be serving her tea soon. Would you like to join the party, sir?" He chuckled slightly at his choice of words, yet the same carefreeness was not reflected by his master. Ciel narrowed his eyes in silent anger.

"No." He answered with a turn of his chair towards the window. The back the butler, telling him the joke had been taken with great annoyance. Sebastian gave a small shrug before turning towards the door.

"Ah, yes, one more thing, My Lord. Lady De Ferreis is looking forward to dinner with you. By the way of her words, I assume she has some information to tell. I suggest your attendance." He paused to hear any agreement from his master, but not a word came from Ciel's lips. Perhaps this was his way of agreeing, Sebastian mused with a small smile of entertainment.


	6. Chapter 6

"I hope this afternoon's Black Currant tea is not too strong for your pallet, Lady De Ferreis." The strong smell of the odd tea overwhelmed the girl's nose as she stared to the cup being presented in front of her. She glanced around the parlor for a moment, captivated in the spacious design. Everetta glanced back to the aroma emitting tea and the plate Sebastian's white gloves placed to the small table. The butler gave the girl a smirk as he explained the dessert.

Seated in the middle of the plate was a double-layered soft cake encased in a fluffy frosting. Giving the light dessert a flash of color was the various red and blue berries sprinkled and juiced straight onto the plate. With the finishing piece of a mint leaf, the piece of food had been transformed into a little show of it's own.

"A light vanilla cake with a lemon icing. The tartness of the blackberries and raspberries mirror that of the Black Currant tea. I hope it is to your liking, My lady." With his explanation out of the way, Eva looked back to her snack.

_Truly__ astonishing. Everything is perfectly placed on this dish. _She gave another glance towards Sebastian.

_Is he truly just a butler? _

The opening of the parlor door shot both sets of eyes to the arriving Lord of the house. The young boy strolled through with eyes stuck to Eva.

"Good afternoon, Lady De Ferreis. I trust your day has been as lax as you would enjoy?" Ciel took a place across from the girl at the table. Without a word of question, the butler poured his master a cup of tea to go with the slice of cake he placed in front of him.

Eva's pupils shot back down to her plate before the eye contact of the two teens could be kept for very long.

"Y-Yes, Lord Phantomhive. I thank you for housing me on such short notice." He was rather intimidating even in casual conversation.

Ciel shoved his fork to the piece of cake just as his eyes shifted towards a nearby window. He spoke just as the fork left his lips.

"Lady Everetta, we're on similar social standings. If you'd find it fit, you may call me simply by my name." He spoke with a disinterested tone, but the words put a small smile to the girl's lips.

"Alright. Thank you, Ciel." The girl picked the fork from the table as she cut her cake into smaller pieces. She seemed to almost play with the bright berries as if they were inedible.

Ciel noticed her unusual tendency with food, but decided it best to disregard the irregularity.

"You should be pleased to know I've made considerable advances with the case. Whoever or whatever is driving these individuals to act out should not take more than a few days to figure out." Ciel placed down his fork as his intense eyes focused upon the girl.

"Lady Everetta, if there is any information that you are withholding, I suggest you speak it to me now. It could mean the difference in finding out who your real assaulter is." The way she always avoided his eyes seemed quite suspicious to him. Was she hiding something?

Eva withdrew her hands to her lap.

"I... I was approached by my uncle.." The whitening of her fists was quite present as she squeezed them harder. Ciel waited for the girl to continue in anxious silence.

Everetta shook her head.

"He warned me to stop speaking with my grandfather. He said that I shouldn't get too close to the man in the middle of the chaos of the inheritance." Eva locked eyes with Ciel with a certain sadness.

"All I wanted was to be able to stay with my grandfather as long as I could. I have been so very close to him all throughout my life." Her voice rose with indignation.

"Why does my uncle's family insist that all I seek is money? Have they really never trusted me..?"

Ciel closed his eyes before opening them to the bright shining outdoors. He stared towards the distant garden beyond the parlor room they sat to.

"Money is a strange thing. It is an object changing in material and size throughout the world, but no matter where one travels, the true value never changes. A scrap of paper or pressed ore changed into an object of desire accepted by all. Truly, something only humans would find valuable." His sigh and eyes flitted towards the now smirking demon. Ciel brushed off his admitting words as he looked back to Everetta.

"Not all of your blame should go towards your uncle's family. Not one person can say their lives have been unaffected by the gaining or losing of money." Even in his comforting words, the Earl was matching the various clues to the uncle.

_A refined man of London. Lord De Ferreis certainly matches that description. He could have also convinced his son to attack Everetta to deter her from gaining favour from her grandfather. But how could he persuade the others? And what use would he have from the death of strangers? _

Eva smiled slightly at the words.

"Thank you, Ciel. No one has ever said something like that to me. Moreover, no one has gotten past their fear of my social status to tell me the truth, no matter how harsh it is." A sheltered life in a dark home on a bumpy country road no one bothers to travel down. Perhaps the Earl felt a bit of sympathy towards her naivety.

The slight knock to the parlor door interrupted the scene playing before Sebastian. He strolled with great leisure to the now cracked door. The purple-hair of the maid poked in as she whispered several words towards the butler. The Demon nodded before closing the door and turning to his lord.  
"I hate to interrupt, sir, but a certain individual has arrived. He is awaiting you in your study." His vague words seemed to make sense to Ciel, as a sour expression came to his face.

"My study?! Who let him into there? How long has he been left alone?!" A certain worry and anger was heard in his voice. The sound gave Eva a small smile. She had never seen the boy flustered in any sort of way. It was a nice change from his intimidating stare and seriousness. Ciel looked towards Eva.

"I apologize, Lady Everetta. I shall make sure to join you at dinner, but I must leave for the time being." With those words, the young lord nearly jogged out of the room. The door shut to leave both the mistress and butler alone in the large parlor. A sudden shyness made Eva glance away from the incoming butler.

"I am truly sorry for the intrusion, My Lady. I did not realize my master's appointment would start so early." Sebastian gave her an apologetic bow.

Eva was still curious to the vague words spoken by Lord Phantomhive.

"Do you mind me asking who he is meeting with?"

The devilish smile Sebastian placed to his lips parted as the phrase came out.

"Just a pawn calling the game into check."


	7. Chapter 7

"So what shall you do now, My Lord?" Lau's voice questioned the boy facing the window just behind his desk. Ciel's expression did not waver in his monotone answer.

"I shall do exactly what has been asked of me. Your information does not change the fact that I am to find the killer." He gave a glare of blue to Lau.

"Did you truly expect me to be deterred from the case simply because of it's intensity? I have seen much worse." Ciel sighed slightly. He was always treated as such a child no matter who was addressing him. Lau was no exception.

The Chinese nobleman laughed slightly. He shifted with a slight awkwardness as though he expected another individual's weight to be leaning on him. His small companion had not come along, after all. Perhaps she was busy trying to find an even shorter dress than the one she had now.

"Do forgive me, Lord. With such a face of a puppy, I often forget just how hardened you actually are." It was a rather morbid comment turned twisted by the laugh of amusement Lau allowed to escape from his lips.

The narrowed glare of the lord intensified as Lau strode towards the door.

"I look forward to the next time, My Lord. I only hope it's just as interesting." Those words left the young boy alone with the information that had just been presented to him. Ciel sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.

"What to do now...?"  
The faint knocking of the distant door woke Lord Phantomhive from his indecisiveness. He stared to the butler clad all in black. The man approached the desk with a hand against his breast and a slight bow.

"Dinner preparations have been made, My Lord. Lady Everetta is waiting for you." The butler's appearance gave Ciel no hints if he had heard the conversation that had transpired. Knowing him, he had probably already known.

Ciel stood from his seat. He approached the tall man just as Sebastian gave a confused stare.

"Is something the matter, My Lord?" The two locked eyes with the thick blue of Ciel's pupils hesitating on his words.

"I... Have a task for you to complete." The boy skimmed his fingers across the thick leather of his eye patch. He looked down to the ground at the revival of Sebastian's smirk.

"Of course, My Lord."

"I trust you have not been waiting for me very long, Lady Everetta." Ciel strode into the dining room and past the girl's chair. She whipped her head to his direction in a slight panic. Her worried eyes melted as she realized it was simply the Earl. Eva smiled as the boy took a seat rather close to her.

"I haven't. I'm appreciative that you stopped your work to dine with me." The mistress picked her fork from it's position. Ciel mirrored this action with the same delicacy. He took a small stab into the green lettuce doused in a pink-purple sauce. Raspberry vinaigrette, no doubt. The butler was convinced that the Earl wanted a swimming pool of the stuff. No matter the ridiculous amount of times he told Sebastian to hold back, he always poured it on without mercy. He couldn't win all of the battles, he supposed.

"I must admit, I've heard great things of the Phantomhive manor. And I am not disappointed." Eva's small comment caused Ciel's head to lift from his plate. He shifted his eyes to the girl scanning the room.

"And what exactly do they say?" The Earl had always known he was a great conversation piece to most of the nobles, but his estate was not one topic he assumed to be in.

Eva's smile increased. She allowed eye contact between her and the Earl.

"That the scheme of each room blends beautiful as if it were merely a large painting hanging gently on a wall." She glanced to, ironically enough, a painting assigned to the west wall. Eva's praise did not end there, however.

"And that your servants are very capable, especially your butler. They never describe him as anything less than a shadow serving the image it mirrors. Where has he gone, anyway?" Everetta missed the slight smirk that appeared to Ciel's face as she glanced around.

"Oh, worry nothing of him. Shall we move onto the main meal, then?" Ciel questioned the girl with the very same unnerving smile to his face. Eva now faced it with a certain confusion. She nodded meekly.


	8. Chapter 8

"I didn't think you would house such a liking for games, Ciel." Everetta stared down to the crisp cards of diamond in her hands. She shifted a red heart towards the outside of her deck, looking over to Ciel's careful picking up of another card. A slight expression of annoyance dawned upon his face as he looked to the number of the card.

"It's only natural. Funtom is England's leader in toy manufacturing. If I had no such interest, the company would not be as far ahead as it is now." With these words, the boy placed down his entire hand. Eva's look of disbelief was in complete contrast to the deep smirk on Ciel's lips.  
"Now then, what shall we do now?"

The boy's after dinner hours were completely free of any lessons or work, so the two teens had decided to occupy the time with a few games. Obviously, the young lord had won every single one.

Eva replaced her expression with a smile.

"I have an idea, Ciel." With great interest, the boy watched the girl sneak a hand into her bag. A small box was withdrawn from it, a ribbon tied around the entire piece. Everetta extended the object towards Ciel.

"Please, take it."

Ciel grabbed the small gift box with curiosity. He pulled the ribbon from around it, allowing him to now open the box and satisfy the small amount of suspicion in his mind.

Upon opening the box, a strange scent came through the air. Ciel's eyes focused to a glass bottle holding an oddly colored liquid.

"Cologne?" He questioned with a glance towards the girl.  
Everetta nodded as she grabbed the bottle.

"Of course. I wanted to thank you for housing me, so I assumed this would be the best way. You know that my family develops and manufactures perfumes and colognes, right?" She grabbed the small rubber end of the bottle as she faced it toward Ciel.

"Yes, of course. The De Ferreis brand of scents is the best selling line of perfumes. They had just recently announced an expansion into men colognes, after all. I didn't think I would be seeing the newest product so early before its release." Indeed, the label of the cologne screamed of the refined tastes of the family. Ciel took a moment to glance at the rather ridiculous name, 'Allure of the Night.' While it was cheesy, the name didn't draw too much away from the main focus of the product; the smell. Perhaps it was too alcohol based.

Eva nodded with her usual smile.

"My grandfather said he would love to hear a Phantomhive's take on our newest item. All you need to do is squeeze this part.." The girl's squeezing of the rubbery end released a spray of the liquid into Ciel's face. The boy sputtered for a moment, coughing at the sudden overwhelming stench.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I truly did not mean to.." Eva stared towards the boy recovering from the attack. His eyes dilated as they trailed towards the girl.

"Damn.. What is..?" The world shook before the Earl as the girl's image wavered. Her look of concern dwelled in his eyes as her voice wavered.

"Ciel!? Ciel, are you alright?"

And the Allure of the Night took him.

* * *

"Thank you for playing with me, Ciel. Please sleep well." Eva's sweet voice was aimed towards the boy standing next to his butler. His slight nod towards her allowed the girl to turn towards the direction of her room. His butler noticed his silence and turned to him questioningly.

"Is something of the matter, Master?" There was a hesitance in Ciel's turn towards Sebastian.

"What are you speaking of?" His glaring blue eyes were nothing new, but they seemed to stare past the butler. Sebastian allowed a confused smile to touch his lips.

"You've been rather silent since your time in the parlor with Lady Everetta." A smirk replaced his expression.

"Did she beat you mercilessly at cards?" He teased to his Lord.

This phrase only sent a small growl to Ciel's mouth.

"Do not be ridiculous. She did nothing of the sort. Let's go, Sebastian. I'm tired." The clicking of the Earl's steps towards his room sounded in the butler's mind. He watched the oddly slow walking pace of his lord with fascination. With a small shrug, the butler followed suit.

"Of course, My Lord."

* * *

Sebastian took great detail in removing his master's eye patch to reveal the sparkling purple of the contract. He gave it a small stare before moving towards the rings on his Earl's hand. The slight clink of the metals sounded as Ciel snapped his head to the pillow. No words were exchanged between the two, which gave Sebastian a rather odd expression. He stood still above the now sleeping Earl, wondering just how the boy had managed to fall asleep so quickly.

"Really, Young master. Has our guest tired you out so much as this?" He tucked the blanket over the boy as a mother would do to her resting child. Sebastian retook the candlestick from the side-table before stepping towards the door. With a last look, he eyed the child rather suspiciously.  
Had something happened in the parlor room? Everetta had not acted any differently than usual. Perhaps it was just the butler's overactive imagination. The door to the master's bedroom closed just as the young boy's dilated eyes snapped open.


	9. Chapter 9

No noise was heard in the spacious guest room Everetta lie to. Her eyes lazily traced back and forth the entire room in silent fear at the darkness and unfamiliar area. This was one of the first times she had been to a new place alone, after all. At least the Earl seemed rather nice, under all of his layers, at least. Though, even that thought did not quell her fear of any figures emerging from the darkness of the dancing shadows.

_Nothing's there. You're fine. Of course you are._ Everetta comforted herself with calming thoughts. These silent thoughts did nothing against the faint squeaking of her bedroom door. The complete and utter darkness of the hallway nearly blended into the silhouette of a small individual. The girl sat up in her bed.

"H-Hello? Ciel, is that you?" Only the boy could have such a small figure outlined in the darkness. However, it was strange that he did not knock first.

Everetta felt the beat of her heart increase as the boy walked towards her with no answer. Only the streaming light of moon allowed her a slice of vision to his hand.

Held tightly in his small fingers was a knife larger than any the young girl had ever seen. The evergreen of her eyes widened.

"C-Ciel, what are you..?" He approached with still no expression or words to quell her intensifying fear. Everetta wrestled in her covers to free herself. Sweat poured down her face as her entangled fingers and feet made remained entangled in the mess of the sheets. She abandoned the idea of escape as the Earl touched the ends of her elongated shadow. Everetta now turned to face him directly.

"Please, Ciel! Don't! Stop!" Her shouts went unheard as the boy raised the hand holding the sharpened steel. Everetta braced herself as the inevitable falling motion of the knife began. She glanced away for only a moment, yet it seemed like an eternity. Was the cold and distant silver in her already?

"My, My, sir," The girl dared to look as the words of a known butler flowed into the chilled night air. The face of her savior wore a smirk as his hand held his master's wrist. The knife stayed inches away from Everetta's pupils. He truly couldn't have come any sooner.

"No need to get this angry over a little card game." The butler wrestled with his master to allow the knife to drop on Eva's bed. Sebastian faced his master's unmoving and expressionless face with his signature smile. It was almost as though the entire scene was a normal event.

Even in her saving, Everetta kept a horrified expression to her lips and eyes. Tears welled to the traumatized girl's pupils as Sebastian glanced over.

"I was right! I knew it all along!" She screamed into the air. Everetta clutched her head in distress.

"The Phantomhives are cruel! They would be the only ones responsible for such a ludicrous and cruel act of trying to kill the one whom thinks they are being helped!" Even in her trauma, the girl remained rather collected in her language. Her cursing of the family did not stop with those words, though. Her evergreen eyes overflowed to the thick steel just below her. She faced Ciel's blank face with contempt and outrage.

"You killed all the others, didn't you!? What have you to gain!? How can you be so cruel! Say something!" Her shouts seemed to have no effect to the butler, as only a smirk came to Sebastian's face. He chuckled at the words. Eva's eyes shifted over towards him with the very same anger.

"What is so funny!? Your Lord just tried to kill me!" How could he be laughing so openly when she lie there in utter turmoil? Was he making fun of her?

Sebastian's eyes looked directly into Eva's. He didn't hold back in the amount of pleasure and enjoyment that he conveyed in just the maroon pupils.

"If you don't mind me saying, I believe it's rather amusing that a suicidal girl yells at a boy to stop her early death." He was obviously referring to the teen, but she only looked on in confusion.

"You can drop the act, Lady De Ferreis. I'm aware of the position you take in these recent string of murders. Just how long did you think you could continue killing without anyone figuring it out?" Sebastian dropped the hand he held on the unresponsive Phantomhive.

Everetta's tear-stained cheeks remained with the same expression for a few moments as she debated the words flowing through her mind. The scowl on her face soon morphed into a knowing smirk. She directed her cool summer eyes towards the butler.

"Of course you've figured it out. I've thought so for a while, but decided it best to not let another murder happen so close to me. I suppose you're not so lucky now." Any eyes that had previously given sympathy to the young girl could now find it easier to give her a look of anger. Her act of an assaulted and naive mistress was dropped so suddenly and with much ease that one could almost assume she had never been one.  
Everetta picked herself up from the bed. Her feet barely made a noise as she stood to face Sebastian. The very same smirk to her lips was easily reflected onto the butler's.

"My master had never taken you off of the suspect list. You were always the number one culprit." The butler took a step away from Ciel to face the girl head-on. Though they were a few feet away, the overwhelming height difference could have intimidated anyone into stepping down from the butler. Not the girl with an ace up her sleeve, though.

"Oh? Ciel suspected the assaulted girl even as she was thanking him over and over for a safe stay at his manor? The Phantomhives truly are cruel." She took a glance over to Ciel, though he did not seem to notice. His eyes still stuck to the spot on the bed where the girl had originally been begging for her life.

"Naturally. A proper beating from your uncle's family could have put your in the head place for the inheritance. A refined family against barbarians? Why, even a child could tell which was more deserving of the head title of the family."

Eva shrugged slightly.

"However, it did nothing for my cause in the end. While my grandfather was very sympathetic, he told me that my position in this battle had no affect on the outcome. That he wanted to keep me the 'same' and untainted. Whatever that means. A few bruises and broken bones for nothing." She sighed with the grin still stuck to her lips. Everetta turned back to Sebastian.

"Well, you must realize it now. This is check. Now that I know the truth, there is nothing that you can do. I could easily overpower a young girl like yourself." The butler took a step towards the girl, yet this did nothing to her carefree expression.

"Now, that's where you're wrong. Ciel, would you kindly come here?" For the first time, the boy made movement. He strode towards the girl and faced her with the very same pupils that stared past her. Sebastian's smirk vanished as his young lord came between the murderer and him.

Everetta's hand clutched onto Ciel's shoulder. She leaned into his ear with green still pointed towards the questioning butler in the distance. When she was finally finished, the young man turned to Sebastian. He spoke with heavy authority in his voice.

"Sebastian. Do not interfere. That is an order." It was almost ridiculous how those simple words could stop the foot the demon had placed in front of him. All confidence wore away from his eyes as he realized just how far the young girl had planned ahead. She wrapped her arms around Ciel's shoulders affectionately.

"'The butler clad in all black that follows every order from his master's lips, no matter how outrageous.' That is how they described you. It's a nice little trick, isn't it? Just one small drink or sniff and someone can become all yours." Sebastian took no reply to the girl's words, issuing a glare instead.

Everetta smiled.

"What? Why are we becoming so quiet now? Have I confused you?" She giggled almost like an innocent child.

"Well, that's too bad, as you understanding is of no concern to me. Ciel." She removed her arms as she took a step back. Everetta looked to the boy's dark blue eyes with no sympathy.

"Would you do me one last favour? Take that knife there," She did not need to point to the steel still wet with her previous faux tears. The handle was gripped tightly by the Earl. He turned back to her for further instructions. A more serious look came to Everetta's eyes. She swallowed loudly.

"Alright. Now what you can do for me is simple. Very simple. All I want you to do," She pointed towards her own heart with a single finger.

"Put that knife into my chest as many times as you can. As hard as you can. Don't stop." The command put curiosity to Sebastian's eyes.

"And what is the purpose of that? Why kill all those other individuals if you are going to simply waste your life in the end? What is your goal?" Was she just insane? There had to be a reason for all of it. And why Ciel? Why the person who was housing her? Was it because of his investigation of the case?

Everetta turned to the butler with a sad smile.

"I... Will never get the inheritance or title that my grandfather holds. Even if favour rests to my father, I can never hope to gain the one thing I sacrificed everything for. I am a woman competing against the higher-classed men of my family. Why didn't I realize it in the beginning? No, now.. I was going to be found out for all those meaningless murders. I couldn't have my assault being the main focus, could I? That would cause too much investigation. They would surely find me out in no time. Even with all those dead souls, Ciel was on my tail in no time. Now.. I would rather have my family have the title in my death rather than my uncle gaining it while I still live. The death of his favorite granddaughter by the ruthless hands of a family friend could bring enough sympathy to my family, couldn't it? So, come on, Ciel." The girl threw her hands into the air to allow the boy more ease to stab the knife to her chest.

"Come now! I'm sorry it had to be you. I had warned you of the truth, didn't I?"


	10. Chapter 10

The steps of the Lord towards the girl were cold and calculated, similar to the blade held tightly in his hand. With a simple raise of the knife, Ciel focused his sights onto the girl's chest.

The sudden clattering of the cool silver to the ground stopped all hearts on the scene. No, perhaps it only stopped the beating muscle of the wide-eyed girl. A cool slap of flesh to Everetta's cheek was all the pain she felt. Her evergreen eyes traced towards the blue pair of pupils now giving a rather unimpressed look to her way.

"What..?" Everetta grasped her burning cheek, eyes flitting around the boy who had assumingly fell out of her control. Ciel looked down to the knife now settled on the ground with his same expression.

"The world's most terrifying drug. 'Devil's Breath.' One loses their free will with it's ingestion, driven forward with only the command of another." Ciel locked his glaring blue with Eva.

"Did you truly think I would become overtaken by such cheap means?" The stabbing words replaced any death in the room. Eva simply stared to the young lord with disbelief in her overflowing eyes.

"No.." It was a whisper of an individual's entire life slipping right in front of her. All the planning and calculating. All the peace she had made with her own death seemed so very meaningless in the 'checkmate' the Earl of Phantomhive had just placed on the board for her to see.

"That's impossible..! No one can resist the drug-"

"Precisely. Especially a child." Sebastian interjected into the sentence with his usual smirk. He stepped towards his master. Ciel seemed to point his glare towards the butler at the words, 'child.'

"My lord never would have stood a chance if it were actually the scentless and tasteless drug that you so rudely sprayed into his face." Upon this remark, the butler pulled an object from his pocket. He showed the cologne bottle to a face filled with even more disbelief.

"It did not take much time to recreate. Perhaps your family should shift their focus out of heavily alcohol based perfumes and to that of originality." His insult to the girl's company did not seem to be the reason for the tears flowing out of her eyes.

_It's over. All of it is over because I wasn't smart enough. I can never go back to the house. I can never see any of them again. _

"How.." Everetta's demand to know just how the young boy had figured her out did not seem to be a mere question escaping from her lips.

Ciel folded his arms against his chest.

"The drug Scopolamine, or 'Devil's Breath' as it is more commonly known, is only found in South America. It is the substance you intended to spray into my eye, and had done so to the other victims. It is virtually scentless and tasteless, making it very easy for someone to slip into a drink, food, or for your case, cologne." Ciel took the glass bottle from Sebastian's hands. He eyed the liquid with intensity. His fingers groped the rubber end.

"The drug's scarcity in our country meant only one thing; you needed to have a supplier. Luckily for me, a certain drug distributor is more than willing to share his clients' information with me." The vision of the Chinese nobleman most likely crossed both parties' minds. He did not seem to be the most loyal dog an owner could find. Usually, this fact was in Ciel's favour.

Everetta dropped to her knees. The liquid gathering in her eyes dropped to the ground without a sound. She clenched her teeth with a heart-broken stare to the wooden panels.

"Why..? Why did you pretend? You knew I did it, so... What was the point in making me think I had won!?" er shouts were anger mixed with a hopeless sorrow. Ciel felt no sympathy as he twirled the small bottle in his fingers.

"Simply stated, I wanted you to _think _you had won, Lady Everetta. When a player believes they have already finished the game, they begin to make mistakes. You admitted to both my butler and I the reason for all of the murders. I had a small theory on why you had killed those strangers, and you only helped by reinforcing my guess." A smirk formed to Ciel's lips. Sebastian followed suit with the action.

"Whatever shall we do with her now, My lord? A highly sought murderer, staying at the Phantomhive manor all alone." The butler's grin matched his glowing maroon eyes with a dark and sinister look.

"We'll give her the hospitality the Phantomhive manor is known for. You have heard of it, haven't you, Lady Everetta?" Those blue eyes staring down pierced into the evergreen, sending shivers of fear into Eva's spine. Sebastian took over from his master's words.

"We've just installed a new strapping bench to the basement. I've heard they're all the rage these days. The leather whip that came along with it is of the highest material as well. It suits someone of your position quite well, lady De Ferreis."

_No.. This was not how it was supposed to turn out! He was supposed to protect me..! He said he would protect me! Nononono..._ The girl's mind was a jumble of thoughts whirling together in a frenzy. They all spoke of her betrayal by the cruel, cruel man, cursing him.

"He said he would protect me! He promised!" Her eyes skidding to the ground found her reflection in the glint of a silver blade. Just as the thoughts ceased, Ciel's hardened expression softened.

_He? Was she not working on this alone? _

"Everetta-" The words leaving Ciel's lips were stopped by the girl's hands wrapping around a thick blade. She aimed the shapr object towards herself as she lifted her tear-stained face towards Ciel. The boy lunged forward at the possibility of new information. He was held back by the extending arm of a butler clad in black. The threat of the girl having the knife was more important to the contract than any information she could present.

"Everetta-"

Hot red spilled from a self-inflicted wound. It splashed to the wooden panels, filling into the space between each segment and perhaps dripping down into further layers. A muffled cry was heard from the lady as she clasped a blood-stained hand to her mouth. Her watering eyes locked with Ciel.

"We're all just a pawn to him. He doesn't protect us..He uses us up and leaves us to die.." A small trail of crimson came from her mouth. Everetta's sparkling eyes locked with the large blue pupils the earl wore.

"Don't become his pawn, Ciel."


	11. Chapter 11

"It's still not over. There has to be someone else." The slight clicking of the pawn being thrown off of the board was the only noise heard in the quiet study. The white piece fell from the playing table with glaring blue eyes staring to it.

"She spoke of someone else. To willingly give up your life for someone, they have to be rather close." Ciel mused towards his lone butler. Sebastian shifted his maroon pupils over.

"Quite so. A family member? Her father or mother?" His suggestion willed a slight nod from the small child.

"Exactly as I was thinking."

_We're all just pawns to him. He doesn't protect ys.. He uses us up and leaves us to die.._ Ciel thought to the words spoken by the frenzied girl just before her death. Her attachment to whoever had controlled her was quite strong. Perhaps it was driven by fear. Even with the thoughts swirling in his mind, the boy stood from his seat. He strode with a gentle pace towards the window just behind him, a bright light blinding him for a moment. When his eyes did adjust, Ciel was able to make out the shapes of the three fools he called servants. He watched the bodies run across the lawn, a rather large white dog trailing after them.

"It's not as though I've never seen that kind of devotion before. Almost to the point of idiocy, she would follow him. If a person could kill another person's drive to live in a secure future, wouldn't it be more fitting to call him a demon?"

A slight smile came upon Sebastian's face. He picked the blank pawn from the ground, placing it into the chess case.

"If you'd like to think of it that way, then yes, my lord."

Ciel's eyes narrowed.

"Ridiculous."

The earl turned on his heel to approach the slender man. The butler stared down with slight curiosity. The small master he served now stood in front of him with demanding eyes.

"We're investigating further. Send word to the De Ferreis manor that we are visiting to offer our sincerest condolences on behalf of his recently departed daughter." It was a slim chance that his return would be welcomed, but he needed the information quite desperately. Perhaps Everetta's father or grandfather could offer more insight to the type of life she lived or the person who had driven her to commit such cruel acts. Ciel strode away from his butler as he faced the window once again.

Sebastian's curiosity deepened.

"Of course, master, but what do you intend to ask? Any member of the house could very well be the guilty party. There would be no way you could tell a truth from lie." It was a very valid claim, Ciel knew. Most of the time, he was deceived by specious individuals.

"I know." He stated with a sigh.

"As the head of the Phantomhive house, perceiving truth from lies is my job. As you would say, if I could not manage something that simple," He wore a quite mocking smile aimed directly towards his demon with a simple turn of his head.

"Then what type of Queen's watchdog would I be?"


	12. Chapter 12

"The manor is as dark as ever." Sebastian's small comment brought the curling and dead patches of flowers to the Earl's attention yet again. The appearance of the garden had not changed since their last trip, it seemed. Perhaps the mourning of the not-yet dead man had switched to that of the late daughter. Not much of a soul to mourn, Ciel supposed.

"I'm surprised my appearance was approved. I would have assumed he would have held a slight grudge against me." Ciel's thought reflected over to the man he had not been introduced to yet. The parents had, obviously, been out of town at his first welcoming to the manor. Upon hearing the news of their daughter's death, they fled from any jobs they might have, coming home right away.

Sebastian once again took his earl's hand to guide him down from the carriage. The clicking of Ciel's boots to the road was a small noise, what with his minimal body weight.

* * *

"Good afternoon, Lord Phantomhive." Sebastian recognized the black and white dress of the maid the two had previously encountered at the manor. A small smirk slipped onto his face.

"What a turn of events, meeting you again, miss."

Ciel could already tell with his butler's quick steps that the exchange of greeting was not just a formality. Without a single word, the demon had taken it upon himself to gain a sort of trust between the two, just by his charms and looks. Ciel supposed that it wasn't that rare of a thing to happen, though. The Earl sighed, following the now blushing woman and his smirking butler

* * *

The large wooden door leading directly into an even larger room was what awaited the Lord at the end of the journey. The black and white woman opened the area for his eyes to see, giving a slight bow before returning to Sebastian's side with a meek smile.

Ciel gave the maid a quick glance.

The young Earl would be discussing the events with Lord De Ferreis without his butler by his side, he could tell. Sebastian would do his job, anyway. Perhaps the maid had information to offer that would slip with just a bit of sweet talk.

Lord Phantomhive stepped into the spacious library without a second thought. The door closing behind him cut off any maroon eyes that may have been studying him from afar. Perhaps he would be able to get more done with no hungry pupils watching his every move.

Immediately upon entering the room, the Earl noticed a rather familiar scent. It was a cologne once again containing way too high of a percentage of alcohol. It emitted from a solitary man sitting towards the middle of the library. His evergreen eyes were full of defeat that stared through the wooden paneling of the ground. Ciel couldn't help but think of summer leafed pupils housing the same hopelessness and solitude. Paired with the his short brown hair, the striking resemblance to the late lady De Ferreis told Ciel that this was the man he had come to meet.

"Lord De Ferreis, I presume?" Ciel made haste towards the small table the man sat to. His eyes shifted slightly towards the Earl, yet they seemed to just look straight through as though the boy were glass.

"Ah... Earl Phantomhive.." He spoke with the deject-fulness and depression of a cast off rat. He eyes trailed back down to the ground.

"Please... Have a seat."

Ciel felt a certain awkwardness, but he found the ability to sit across from the Lord. The overwhelming stench of cologne caused a small cough to escape his mouth, which, in turn, sent a pathetic smile to David De Ferreis' lips.

"Rather pungent, is it not? It can barely be called the "Allure of the Night." Moreover, it's the repulsive scent I left the manor to research. For some reason, no matter how much I apply to myself, I can't quite smell any of it." The guilt in his tired eyes was evident. He blamed himself.

The man had left his daughter in the middle of a family war while he left to simply develop a new perfume. How was that just? Couldn't he have been there? Would him have staying set the situation to end any differently? Just a few of these thoughts must have been swelling his obviously painful brain. Even in knowing the torture of the previous events, Ciel spoke up.

"Lord De Ferreis-"

"David.. My name is David." Perhaps in his mourning, the man had no sense of formality or true respect of himself.

"Yes, of course. David, the house of Phantomhive offers their sincerest condolences on the events that have.. Transpired." It was as though the boy was walking across a mine field. One wrong word, and perhaps the man in front of him would break down further than he already was. Ciel did not want to witness such a thing.

"That does not change the fact that what has happened involves my full investigation. I cannot stop my questioning simply because a girl has met her end."

These words only succeeded in David's eyes narrowing with a sad undertone. Perhaps he wasn't ready to admit his daughter's guilt just yet, despite all the evidence.

"What... What do you want to know?" He locked dull evergreen eyes with blue, signaling that the time for self-pity was over, or at least delayed.

"Were you aware Lady Everetta was speaking with Lau?" Ciel, even with the mourning presented by the father, still kept the man on the suspect list. At this point in time, he could not tell if this was an act. If it were, the man was a hell of an actor.

"No. I've never met him. He was her supplier, correct?" The man squeezed his hands together, watching as the knuckles turned white.

Ciel gave a simple nod before turning to his next question.

"Before her assault, had any one in your brother's family been especially aggressive towards your daughter?"

"I... I wasn't there... I don't know.." The question only served to remind the man of his absence during the most crucial part of the case. Ciel let out a small inaudible sigh at the obviously self-pitying answer.

"Lord David... Before she died, Everetta told me something."

_I really shouldn't be telling him this. If he's the mastermind, this information will only cause him to act more cautiously, but..._

Emerald eyes slowly trailed to look into Ciel.

_I said it was my job to tell truth from lie, and I do not detect anything but a hopeless man lost in the death of his only light. _

"She spoke almost as though... As though there were another individual dictating her movements. Like she was being contro-"

"Of course!" The eyes so full of solitude suddenly lit up at the words. The man lunged across to Ciel with a wild look in his pupil. He took hold of the Earl's shoulders.

"Everetta could do nothing of the sort! Yes, there must have been someone else! There's no other explanation!" David truly showed his desperation to the Earl in that moment. His idea, no, _need _to prove his daughter's innocence was felt in his stone-hard grasp on Ciel's arms. It was almost painful.

"Earl Phantomhive, you must find that person! Please, Ciel! I know Eva could never do something so, so, so-"

A hand came down upon David's arm, willing his wide eyes to search to a new individual.

A slight smirk sat below maroon eyes. They stared to the Earl with a certain fascination, but a hint of disgust could be found if one searched quite deeply. The jet-black butler had arrived without a noise and without a single announcement.

"Sir, I don't mean to be obtuse, but if you could possibly remove such a vulgar grip on my master... Well, I'm sure My Lord would be more willing to relay any information he might have." His sudden appearance seemed to call the Lord De Ferreis back to his senses. The man released Ciel from his grip. He settled back down to his seat before smoothing out his jacket.

"Yes... I apologize."

With his demon there, perhaps just a surge of confidence came through the boy. He leaned forward towards the table separating the two. He intertwined the fingers on his hands as he set his chin to it.

"What else do you want to know?" A sigh erupted from David as he leaned back in his chair. His exhaustion-stained face did not wipe away the smirk now settling on Ciel's mouth. With a small lick of his lips, the Earl focused his hungry blue eyes to the Lord.

"Everything."


	13. Chapter 13

"Bloody waste of time, that was." Ciel stated to the thick night air. The bumping of the carriage across the uneven road only shook his annoyance. His thick blue eyes traced towards the troubled look Sebastian was emitting.

"Did the maid have anything useful to say?" Perhaps the night wouldn't be a total loss if the butler's good looks had willed some useful information from the black and white girl.

"According to the servants, Lady Everetta's mother was on quite bad terms with her brother-in-law before the family war even started. She barely stayed in the same room alone with him." It seemed like idle gossip to the young Lord.

"So the woman dislikes her husband's brother. It's not the first case of unexplainable contempt." Humans were jealous and vain creatures. Anything could sway one to dislike another.

Sebastian shook his head.

"I suppose you're right, My Lord. Had Lord De Ferreis offered any useful information?" Most likely, Sebastian already knew the answer to that.

Ciel shook his head distastefully. His eyes drifted to that outside the window.

The lowering sun had fully left the horizon as a new silver celestial being took its place. The moon now hung next to glittering specks in the sky, each similar in size and color. Next to one another, and with so many present, the beautiful sight seemed so dull and unremarkable. But should one suddenly disappear, or should only one remain, it would be truly appreciated for itself. Perhaps the thought of the stars reminded Ciel just a bit of the father De Ferreis' agony. He had taken his daughter for granted all the years he was in her company, only to truly realize her affect on his life when she had no life left to live.

The Earl's expression tightened.

Had he, too, been like that?

* * *

"You always beat me! It's not fair!" The usual whining came screeching into the young Phantomhive's ear. His smirk wavered just a bit as he faced angry green eyes. The girl sitting in a pink dress eyed him with a seething anger.

"Can't you let me win at least once?" Elizabeth watched the black and white pieces as the butler carefully placed them into the chess box. Her scowl was quite opposite to Ciel's indifferent expression. The boy stood from his seat across from her.

"If I simply let you win, how will you become any better?" His comment only made a smirk come to Sebastian's lips. The young lady noticed his changing expression. Her slight gasp and red-tinting cheeks instantly morphed any anger she held into laughter. Elizabeth formed a smile onto her lips.

"Even Sebastian's against me! Not fair!" She spoke her usual line without any hint of distaste. This seemed to, in turn, cause a slight grin to peak upon Ciel's mouth.

The staring green eyes to the Earl made him realize his sudden expression. His cheeks reddened before he turned his head towards the window. Truly, he did not want Lizzy to know she had caused such a reaction. She was already giddy enough today.

Ciel cleared his throat.  
"As I was saying, you shouldn't rely on others to win a game for you. If you want to-" A sudden knocking to the parlor door interrupted any words the Earl had been relaying towards his betrothed. Ciel and Elizabeth's eyes looked towards the back of the butler strolling to receive the message that had interrupted the afternoon game.  
A certain maid's head popped into the room for only a moment. She spoke to Sebastian words that could not be heard easily across the room. When she had finished, Sebastian bowed slightly to his master.

"A footman representing the De Ferreis manor has just arrived. It seems as though Lady Everetta's uncle wishes to speak with you as soon as possible." The sudden news sent a scowl to Elizabeth's face.

"Does that mean I have to leave? I barely get to spend any time with you, as is!" Her whines were met by Ciel's sympathetic smile.

"I apologize, Elizabeth. Perhaps we could arrange for another time?" He could easily remain calm with just her. If anyone foreign were present for her complainings, however, the Earl soon found himself rather self-conscious.

Elizabeth rose from her seat. She smoothed her bright dress with a dejected hand.  
"I suppose." She admitted with dull green pupils. It was obvious in just her eyes how much she hated being away from the boy. One could almost think she would attempt to sew the two at the hip if the chance arose. That was Ciel's fiance, though, There was no changing the fact that his parents had chosen the girl themselves. He would just handle it as the head of his family would have when his engagement was announced.  
Elizabeth's shoes clicked away from the boy as she strode closer to the parlor room door. By the time she had reached such wood, a smile had slipped to her lips.

"Goodbye Ciel!" Her enthusiastic farewell seemed to ring in Ciel's ears even as her face was cut off by the door. With one hindrance out of the way, the Earl collapsed to his seat. A thick sigh increased the smirk on Sebastian's face.

"Tired, sir?"

Glaring blue eyes centered on his butler.

"As ever."


	14. Chapter 14

A forest of pine trees stared into Ciel, each leaf highlighted in the bright green pupils. He became almost captivated in the lush forest sitting just a seat away. The color was similar to Lady Everetta's, but a deeper and brighter feeling was conveyed with the intense stare the middle-aged man was giving. A simple blink of this man's eye wiped any fantasies of emerald away from the boy. The young earl refocused his blue back to the serious stare and scowl on the uncle's face. His slight shuffle on his seat sent a few slicked pieces of hair free from the dark brown prison. Ciel had to admit, this family was very similar in appearance. The only difference he could see now was the high arch of the uncle's nose, that, except him, had only been present in Everetta.

Belial De Ferreis sat across from the young boy, hands tight in a ball and a rather melancholy look to his face. His expression was tight, and each wrinkle was shown fully in his anguish.

"I appreciate you arriving so quickly, especially since you are the one who wished to meet with me. I'm afraid I'm in a position where I cannot leave the manor." Ciel expressed his deepest thanks, though his indifferent face hinted of no such deep emotions. A simple nod came from Belial. His eyes remained glued to the ground as a sigh erupted from his chapped lips.

"My brother told me of your continued investigation, and I knew I needed to help. I may have some information that could help you prove Everetta's innocence."

Ciel's expression contorted to that of confusion.

_He's in a warring position against his other half of the family, yet all he cares of is proving his niece's innocence? Perhaps they're all exaggerating the contempt between the families if they care this much about one another. _

Even with his thoughts, Ciel remained in a listening position to the words Belial now spoke.

"Yes, I've been holding onto this information for quite some time." His hands covered his head in shame.

"I didn't believe it was important enough. I truly didn't."

Ciel narrowed his eyes down to a point. They traced over the wrinkled and messy fabric of the uncle's long black coat. He found it truly odd that the man had decided to keep it tightly buttoned in the warm manor. A trail of sweat ran across his forehead, each drop showing the Earl of his obvious discomfort.

"Any small piece of the puzzle can help me uncover just why lady Everetta committed such atrocious acts." Just as those words had left his mouth, a cup of tea appeared in front of the two. His eyes searched up towards the smirking butler providing the two with tea. His maroon eyes remained to Ciel, though his lips moved not an inch. They conveyed unspoken words that the Earl couldn't be sure of. Just what was his butler saying?

"Yes... You see, Everetta... She's... She's not my brother's daughter." The narrowed emerald blinked hardly. His teeth ground against one another.

"She's mine."

Those words stopped the hand Ciel had reached out to his cup. He spoke not a word, the shock written in his pupils. The scandalous information was not something he would have thought to hear, especially in this case. His hand withdrew back to his own lap. Ciel's mind flashed a memory of the departed girl, matching her face with the uncle now seated in front of him.

_Now that I think of it, most of the De Ferreis family have very similar traits. The only one unique of her uncle's side.. That has to be the highly arched nose. Her father possessed quite a normal piece on his face while the daughter only showed such a__n arched__ quality. Could Belial truly be her father? How? Why?_

Lord Belial shook his head.

"Lord Phantomhive, I truly love my brother. I had no reason to, yet all those years ago, I came under the charm of his beautiful wife, even while I possessed my own. It was truly not her fault. I took advantage of her longing for the children her husband could never give. I regret it deeply, and only now do I honestly realize I loved her of my daughter and not niece." His emotional words soaked into Ciel, yet the boy could not begin to even fathom the bomb-shell that had landed on him. What was the point in even speaking of it!?

Everetta's mother, the late Lady De Ferreis, Ciel had heard, was of an untouchable level of beauty. The glimpse of her portrait he had seen at the De Ferreis manor did not compare the kind words spoken of her. She possessed bright blue eyes, a very similar shade to his. They reminded all of the sea, and often gave them the feeling of a crisp wave hitting their sight. Beautiful chocolate hair streamed down to her waist, but it was never unkempt or without a high bun. Her figure was an hourglass; rounded, curved, and heavily endowed towards the top. She was complimented by any dress that should be fitted to her, and that was reflected in the wide array of clothing stored away in the attic. Perhaps they would have became Everetta's, should the day arise when her father's grief wore away. Ciel supposed, that day would never come.  
"And what does the girl being your daughter have to do with the investigation?"

The Earl De Ferreis furrowed his brow.

"I had told her quite a few days before the entire family ordeal had begun. She was terribly angry with me, Lord Phantomhive. She wished to tell her father, but I'm afraid I came across a bit too strong when trying to beg her to remain silent. Because of my harshness and perhaps the start of the family war, Everetta left for nearly a week. No one knew where she had left, and no one had an idea of when she would return. For the public's image, we spoke as though she was merely on vacation. Of course, the manor was in total disarray. And then, one day, she returned, simple as that. She did not speak of where she had went, but I could tell that she had changed." The man bit his nail.

"I was so very worried of where she had went. She was my responsibility to keep safe, if only by watching her in the shadows. I worked mercilessly to find out where she had been, and I finally found out." Belial dropped his hands to reach into his coat. He withdrew a slip of paper, passing it over for Ciel to glance to.

"Marion_é_ Etto. He's the only son of a well-to-do business man from Spain. I supposed it was just a small fling between the two, but I can never be sure. He was one of the last people Everetta spoke to before her entire persona changed. He may be the main culprit behind all of crimes, Earl Phantomhive. Please, I beg of you.."

Ciel closed the small packet of a profile Belial had given him. His hand touched the tip of the tea glass before he raised the warm liquid to his lips. His slow and precise movements were watched with heavy and sleepless green eyes. When his thirst had been settled, the Lord placed down the saucer. He locked pupils with one of the three Lord De Ferreis'.

"I will keep your being the late Lady De Ferreis' lover and Lady Everetta's father in secret, I assure you. It is not a matter that concerns me, nor interests me. I appreciate you coming here, Lord Belial, and I also look forward to your continued cooperation on this case. Now, if you'll excuse me," Ciel rose from his seat, footsteps sounding towards the door Sebastian held open.

"What about Marion_é? _Lord Phantomhive, I do not wish to regret giving you this informat-"

_ "_Nor will you. Trust in me, Lord Belial. Or not. Your apparent feelings towards me do not matter. Only the ultimate result does. Continue weeping to yourself in your high built manor, far above any of the impoverished and truly suffering until I can resolve your situation. That is all I am at liberty to tell you." His sudden stop and intensification of his pupils cut right into the dark black coat heating the Lord De Ferreis up. As soon as his words had been conveyed, the Earl Phantomhive left. Only Sebastian remained to allow the guest a sort of relief. The man could not truly find solace in the devilish smile and crimson eyes, though.

"Sir, if you would follow me, I can escort you to your carriage."

Despite all thoughts, the Earl complied with the demon's sweet words.

The Earl Belial De Ferreis left in the same frenzied and confused state than as he had first arrived.

* * *

"Do you not think you were a bit harsh on Earl Belial, sir?"

Ciel heard the words the butler spoke, yet his eyes did not waver from the interesting packet he had received. He skimmed over the words, every piece of information more deadly than the last.

"He was a complete mess. I stated what he would be doing when he arrived back at his manor, so what was the harm?" He sipped a small bit of tea, eyes still not wavering from the packet. His elbow wandered a bit too far, knocking a small amount of frosting onto his sleeve. The cake shook just a bit, leaving a white remain to the oblivious Lord's shirt. Sebastian could not help but smile at the scene.

"Is that wad of paper truly so interesting, sir?" He laughed.  
"Hm?" Ciel finally looked up to the tall man, a sudden feeling of heaviness on his sleeve. He looked down to be rewarded with his own carelessness. A bright flash of red crossed his cheeks.

"Bloody-"

"Allow me, My Lord." Sebastian was quick to the stain with a handkerchief. He worked to remove the frosting with a smile, obviously annoying the scowling boy. Upon removing the cloth, Ciel shot his seat towards the window. The tall back hid himself from the butler. His pride allowed him ignore the previous situation. His mind wandered to an entirely new subject.

"The entire profile is composed of evidence against the Etto family. I have yet to see a fact that puts pride into their Spanish heritage. It defiles them, putting blame upon past rebellions and wrong-doings in the business company towards them. Do you not find that odd?"

Sebastian caught wind of the train of thought, often as he did.

"You think the profile is a fake?"

Ciel shook his head, eyes looking back over to the words.

"No. I do not doubt the authenticity. Those incidents could very well be based upon the unfairness or cruelness of the Etto family. But that is my point. These incidents are not directly connected. They are simply gaudy rumors and conspiracies. This profile's purpose was not to provide an accurate analysis of the Etto family." Ciel spun his chair back towards the table. He threw the paper down in disgust.

"It was to instill any type of doubt it could into one's mind."

"Does that truly matter, though, My Lord?" Sebastian interjected into the thought. Ciel looked over for a first time since his small frosting mistake. Any blush had disappeared from his face, replaced only with the usu_al seriousness. _

"No, it does not. We still have one place to go."

___Yes, only one place could provide us with the facts that we search for. _

_"_We shall depart for the Etto manor in the morning."


	15. Chapter 15

The smooth ride towards the Etto manor somehow brought thoughts of Lady Everetta to Ciel's mind. The contrast to the bumpy and uncoordinated road to her home only made the remembrance of her face more defined. A slight scowl came to his face. Before Sebastian could notice, the Earl brought up a different subject. His eyes wandered to that of the approaching building.  
"Who was in charge of the architecture? I don't think I've ever seen a manor so strange." Truly, the almost square-like design was a foreign idea. Pure white sprung from the ground, only interrupted by a red-brown roof. All different heights were strewn across the land, each touching another or kept together by an outdoor walkway. It seemed rather unconventional for any cold winter days to have to walk outside between buildings.

"Yes, it's a strange design very common to the City of Seville the Etto family emigrated from. The average temperature of the Spanish city never dips into freezing; an average temperature of 77.5 for the entire year. It has a very high humidity, explaining why they often have the patio design between the buildings. The Etto family wanted to remain very true to the architecture and traditional colors of a Spanish manor, despite the climate Great Britain is known for." Sebastian answered the question with grace, as usual. Ciel only glared slightly, annoyed at the perfectness and slight superiority the man always presented. Nonetheless, he couldn't argue of his able-ness.

* * *

Sebastian and Ciel crept towards the door of the manor, eyes flitting around to the sand-like material the building seemed to be made of. Upon arriving to the door, Sebastian rapt his fist lightly. A woman answered, a smile to her dark face.

"Buenas tardes, Conde. Bienvenidos a la Casa de la Familia de Ettos. Es un placer. Mi Señor esta esperando." The words left the young boy at a loss. His confused eyes drifted towards Sebastian for an explanation.

The butler did not skip a beat.

"She welcomes you to the manor, My Lord. It seems that Lord Etto is waiting for you." His translation put a smile to the maid's face. She giggled slightly, eyes drifting towards Sebastian.

"I'm sorry. I did not realize of your language. Please, no mind of me. Please, follow." With those words, the clicking of the girl's heels began. Ciel's eyes narrowed to Sebastian.

"You know Spanish?" What was the point in even asking?

Sebastian looked down with a signature smirk.

"Of course. Si yo no hablo español, ¿qué clase de mayordomo sería yo?"

Ciel felt as though asking for a translation would only give unneeded satisfaction towards the butler. He simply turned back to the woman walking in the slight distance with no further questions on the matter.

Before very long, the three were standing in front of a rather imposingly large door. The maid gave a simple knock, whispering words Ciel could not understand. When she had finished, the two were revealed to the study.

It was one of the larger square buildings, giving the ability to shove bookshelves in the tight corners. Many foreign books littered the area around the middle of the room, mostly stacked on the clothed tabletop and two couches on either side. Sitting alone sipping tea was a boy a few years Ciel's senior. His dark tanned fingers wrapped around a red tea glass, bringing the piece to his chapped lips. His brown eyes flashed towards the hall, welcoming the Earl with a slight smile and warm pupils. Marioné stood from the couch, his white blouse wrinkling slightly in the movement. His jacket had been discarded and now sat at the bottom of a nearby pile of books.

"Lord Phantomhive. Es un Placer; It's a pleasure to meet you." His Spanish accent was not as thick as his maid's. It just barely gave him an exotic flare to match his sun-struck dark brown hair.

The man reached a hand out to Ciel, which the Earl accepted.

"Yes, I've been meaning to meet with either you or your father. I've heard it's rather rare that either of you are staying near London." They were quite the traveling family. Though, mostly, their dealings stayed in Seville. Perhaps it was best to remain in the place where their entire lives had started.

"I apologize for the mess. I do not often get to read so many books. Please, have a seat." His hand flashed towards the couch opposite to himself. Marioné seemed to also take his own advice, as he plopped down rather quickly. Ciel followed his lead, sitting across from the Spaniard.

"Now why is it that you have requested to meet with me?" The tea once again disappeared into the man's throat. Without a servant in sight, he was required to pour himself more from the kettle.

Ciel narrowed his eyes.

"Lord Etto, I sent you a letter explaining exactly why I would be visiting. You must have received it." It would be strange for the boy to know of their coming but not the reason if he had gotten the scrap of paper.

Marioné blinked his eyes for a few moments. His expression contorted to that of a certain awkwardness.

"Y-Yes, I do apologize. I cannot believe I had forgotten. It was only earlier today that I received it. You were interested in a partnership with my father's company." A hand went to rub his temple as if a headache had clouded his memory. His hand also reached out to satisfy the unusually dry mouth affecting him.

Ciel nodded, eyes remaining with the same suspicion.

"Yes. You deal with various exotic goods that I feel would benefit the Funtom company." His eyes traced across to the sweat line running across Marioné's forehead. Certain marks of wetness also occupied under his arms, staining the white shirt a darker shade. Truly, it was not that hot in the room. The Earl even found it a bit chilly.

"I'm afraid my father makes all decisions, Lord Phantomhive. I am not at liberty to sign any contracts or.." His expression became slightly painful for a moment. Nonetheless, the teen continued with his words.

"Or to make any promises. You must have known that, so why.." He opened his eyes to face Ciel, intense brown focusing on an ocean of blue.

"Why did you really come here?"  
Both the butler's and boy's pupils focused down upon their undoing. The heir to the Etto company had realized their true intentions far quicker than they thought he would. Any surprise or advantage they had tried to craft was now gone. Ciel decided it best to look elsewhere as he stated his true intentions. The brown chocolate eying him was far sharper than he could handle.

"I came here with only one purpose, Marioné. I've heard various rumors of your dealings with the De Ferreis family. Based upon these rumors, and the past intentions of your heritage-"

"Master." Ciel's explanation was interrupted by a single word from his butler. Sebastian bent down next to the boy, whispering words directed towards Marioné.

"I don't think he's listening, Sir. I'm not a doctor, but I don't suppose his unblinking state means he's paying the best attention."  
Ciel turned to the heir, his own pupils focusing upon the teen. He even stood and approached him to gain a better understanding of just why he had almost frozen in time. Ciel's steps were cautious, yet his voice was of curiosity.

"Lord Marioné? Are you alright?"

The brown eyes full of so much fire that Ciel had seen seemed so very different close up. They faced the boy, yet the heir looked directly through Ciel. It was as if he was asleep right in the chair. Even odder, the pupils were highly dilated. An inescapable black peered past Ciel, trapping all objects in the room with it's gaze.  
The tea cup held in the man's hand shook suddenly, guiding Ciel's eyes towards the glass now being raised. As quick as a flash of lightning, the scalding liquid flew from the cup and into the air. It traveled across a short distance to the aristocrat who had dared to get a closer look at the heir. Ciel's eyes widened, his body bracing for the terrible burn that would surely land all across his face.

Traveling along with that tea was also a cloth. It came from the side, whipping right in front of the Earl's face. The bright red cloth caught the liquid from air, staining the red, but saving Ciel from the burning that would have happened. As the cloth came down, his eyes shot towards the butler now standing to his side.

Sebastian had reacted to the entire situation with a quickness that rivaled the whipping through the air. A simple tug at the table cloth over the glass table had given him a shield used to protect his Lord. A smirk faced Lord Phantomhive, quelling his fear for the moment.

"Lo... Siento... Not me... It's not... M-Me..." Small whispered words accompanied Marioné as his hands trailed towards the table. They found a rather sharp object, and he brought it into the air.

An unusually sharp dessert knife had been overlooked for quite some time, but it now showed Ciel the intent that had been resting in the puppet since their arrival.

"Regardless of who is controlling that pliable mind of yours, I will protect my master." Sebastian took careful steps in front of his master. His purple eyes sparkled, highlighting his devilish qualities. Ciel narrowed his eyes.

"Sebastian, this is not the place for a fight. The boy is just a pawn."

Sebastian weighed the silverware in his hand playfully.

"Are you sure, My Lord? It could very well be a trick."

"Yes, I am sure." The boy's eyes traced over Marioné carefully. The glazed-over look in his pupils and dilation could very easily be recreated, but there were the other symptoms.

___His over-sweating and stripping even in the cold room could very well be one of the symptoms Lau spoke of. There was also the dry mouth he seemed to have. He nearly went through the entire pot of tea. An actor would not go through the trouble of trying to convince me before the play began._

An angry shout cut into the air as the heir launched towards the butler. He drove the dagger-like object into Sebastian's hand, springing a fountain of blood from the glove. The demon showed no obvious pain to it. Instead, his eyes wandered back to that of his master.

"If you have no intentions of fighting, then perhaps we should make our exit." He stated plainly with a bit of disinterest.

Ciel agreed with a nod of his head.

Sebastian took hold of the grip the aristocrat still had around the knife. He pulled away his grasp, watching as the knife also fell. He sprung a foot out, knocking the boy to the ground and away from his master. With a light hand, he wrapped an arm around Ciel and swept him up to a bridal style.

The black butler disappeared from the Marionette doll swiftly.


	16. Chapter 16

_Fair warning, it does get rather violent. _

* * *

"Whoever gave Lord Marioné the Devil's Breath had to be rather close to him, wouldn't you think?" Sebastian strode next to his Lord, stimulating his mind with various obvious facts. Perhaps a lead could be created with just the review of the old material.

Ciel shook his head with annoyance.

"Not necessarily. A simple stack of bills from a stranger could give the maid a reason to slip the narcotics in his drink and order him around. I wouldn't doubt that was what happened today." The two reached the study door, Ciel placing a single hand to the doorknob. His eyes narrowed to his butler as the orders came from his mouth.

"Cancel any appointments for the day. I wish to review the case in private." A bow from Sebastian agreed to the order with no complaints. He turned on his heel to walk the opposite direction.

"I shall be by in an hours time for a late afternoon tea, My Lord." The steps of a dark butler disappeared down the hall, leaving the Lord still gripping his study door.

With none around, Ciel was able to let out a tired sigh.

___I can only think of one individual responsible for these crimes. Am I being too hasty, though? _The heavy door swung open to allow him entrance to his room. The bright windows in the distance had been dulled, no light streaming in to illuminate the study. Ciel's eyes looked on with curiosity. He approached the windows with the intent to pull back the shades. His fingers caressed the red material with a certain emerald memory poking in the back of his mind.

___A manor in mourning over the suicide of the youngest daughter. Even the garden was swimming in anguish.  
_A hand wrapped around the mouth of the Lord, yanking him backwards and off-balance. His feet fell from beneath him, landing himself on the ground. All air escaped his lungs, allowing the hand to drop from his lips.

Blue pupils stared up to the man responsible for the sudden attack.

Specious evergreen forests were beautifully deceptive in the way they looked down to Ciel. Belial De Ferreis, still cloaked in his black jacket now stood above him. Just as the boy regained his oxygen, an instrument was jabbed to his mouth. His eyes widened, the funnel forced into his throat a very distant and repressed memory.

A thick liquid poured into the funnel, streaming down his burning throat without his approval. Tears willed to the boy's eyes at the thought, hands shaking and out-of control.

___It hurt____s._

___ Stop. Pleas____e._

With the liquid fully into his stomach, the funnel was yanked from the Lord's throat. He sputtered, falling to a crumpled mess on the floor. Ciel's eyes blurred from the tears as they spilled.

His strength seemed to be fading, as the image of the Lord wavered slightly into a blur of colors and shapes. His hand reached forward, yet it dropped to the ground with nothing left in the boy to guide it.

The older man bent down close to the boy. His hand rested to Ciel's back as if he were comforting the Lord. Belial smiled, emerald eyes full of sincerity.

"Please, calm down, Ciel. I only had to use that atrocious instrument because I knew you wouldn't take it willingly. I only need you to do a few things for me, alright? Very simple things." He stroked the back of the boy affectionately.

___Alright. Now what you can do for me is simple. _

___Is it Lady Everetta? No, she wasn't.. She wasn't the king. _

Ciel's slowly dilating eyes wandered towards Belial. His shaking vision traced across the emerald eyes for a last time before the young girl's voice sounded in his mind and the blackness of the Lord's coat filled his entire mind.  
"Kill whomever you find the most valuable."

___ Don't become his pawn. _


	17. Chapter 17

A faint steam filled the face of the butler as a screen of moisture. It left small droplets of tea to his face, though the man truly did not mind. The liquid pouring into the finely detailed cup had taken far longer to make than usual, though, with the high quality, that was to be expected.

Sebastian twisted the handle of the tea-cup to face outward on the silver platter. The finishing touch of a vase filled with sparkling water and white roses added the last touch to a perfect afternoon tea. The demon found a small smirk of satisfaction touch his lips as he lifted the tray.

* * *

Long strides filled the hallway leading to the study, breaking any silence that may have stilled the scene. Sebastian found himself rapping a light gloved hand against the door of the room. No quick answer sounded from within the study, causing a rather confused look to come to Sebastian.

"Master?" He twisted the brass knob, peeking his head into the small crack of the door.

A desolate study was all the butler saw. The chair his Lord always conspired on sat empty across the room. No thin legs or angry glares were usually where the butler found them.

"Now, wherever could you have gone, my lord? This leaves me quite perplexed." Sebastian's maroon eyes looked down to the tea with concern.

"And here I assumed this brew was your favorite." He sighed, pupils drifting to the steaming cup turning lukewarm.

"I suppose I'll have to fetch another better suited to your stubborn tastes." The butler turned on his heel towards the hallway. His eyes drifted left and right, attempting to guess just where his lord had went. He finally decided upon a way, and starting a stride, the butler followed it down.

"Honestly, throwing a fit just because you dislike this tea."

* * *

The long winding hallways of the Phantomhive manor were anything but foreign to the butler, but he found it quite difficult to decide just which ones to go down. Where had his master wandered off to? The kitchen? No, it wasn't often that he found the boy in that explosive area of the manor.

The library? What a joke! his master would never take upon himself to study outside of lessons.

The garden? That was a possibility, but Sebastian truly doubted it in that moment. His Lord didn't often run away from a case to spend time among the roses. It was only usually when Lady Elizabeth forced him to bird watch or something quite queer like that. He had to admit, the young teen went far to entertain the lady.

Before very long, Sebastian once again found himself at his beginning place of the study. His eyes trailed across the room for quite some time. Finally, steps sounded from behind him. They approached rather quickly and without a voice to speak any intentions.

"My Lord-"

A sharp pain made itself aware in the butler's abdomen. He stopped his turn to allow his maroon pupils to glance to his stomach.

Protruding from the suit was a blade now covered in a thick red. The liquid spilled from the knife, staining his white undershirt a chilling shade. A tough expression dawned to the demon, clenching his teeth in apparent pain and anger.

Sebastian's head turned slowly towards his attacker, his maroon pupils seeing only a glazed-over and dilated blue.

The Lord he had been searching for now stood gripping the knife stabbed directly into his stomach. No expression was to his face, as a simple indifference clouded his figure.

"M-master.." The thick scarlet that had run down his clothes now streamed down the butler's mouth.

The silver tray fell from the gloved hands and to the ground, shattering any cups or saucers. The orange liquid spilled across the ground, mixing with the blood of the butler. Even the white rose was able to gather the blood, tainting the pureness a sick shade of crimson. Next to the mess of roses and tea fell the butler. He landed with a thud on shards of porcelain, perhaps cutting himself worse. Sebastian Michaelis, the very able butler of the Phantomhive manor now lie dead by his master's hand.

___Sebastian. _

Indifferent eyes looked down to the body they had just calming killed. Even with the carefree expression to his face, the inner thoughts of the boy went into a frenzy.

___He;s bluffing, isn't he? He's a demon, so how could he die simply by a stab? I COULDN'T ____have____ killed him. It's impossible, right? _

"You find your butler the most valuable? Not what I expected, but I suppose that's alright." The voice of a man cut the deathly silence of the study. He appeared next to the unresponsive Ciel, wrapping an arm around the boy's shoulders. He stared down to the knife still sticking from the butler's back. Even in his scheming of the entire plan, the man found a scowl come to his lips.

"It matters not, I suppose. It's done, my boy. It's all done." Belial shook his head. He reached down towards the protruding knife. With a pull, he removed the silver from the body. Once again, he handed it towards his puppet. A smirk somehow found it's way to his lips again.

"Well, not all of it. Lord Phantomhive, I have a final task for you. I suppose this task is even simpler than the last." Belial pointed towards the knife in Ciel's hands.

"In your chest. Or throat. It truly doesn't matter to me."

Obedient to the command, Ciel raised his knife-gripping hand. The tip touched the end of the throat, carving a small slit of blood from the sharpness of the instrument._  
____Bloody bastard. Just who the hell does he think he is? I CAN'T do this. Why the hell are my hands doing this!? Bloody hell, stop! I have to stop myself!_

Belial saw a slight tightening of the grip of the knife. The pause in Ciel's hands was not something he expected.

"What are you waiting for? Just plunge the knife right through your neck! It really is that simple!" His annoyance was obvious in his voice, but Ciel decided to ignore his angering face for the moment. He was intent upon pushing the knife away.

The boy clenched his teeth, hand shaking.

___I won't be controlled this easily. No, to let someone who uses such cheap means to control others win, I would never forgive myself. _

The knife held in the boy's hand slowly began to pull backward, the dilation disappearing in his eyes. The tough expression forming to Ciel's mouth caused great concern to Belial. The man stepped backward.

___I will live. I will live long enough to die by the hands of a demon masquerading as a butler. _

"I will... Not... Become anyone's pawn..!"

Another hand suddenly appeared to the knife, forcing the piece back to the position right in front of the boy's throat. It was several seconds before Ciel realized this was his other hand. His closed eyes begged for a certain individual to wake up from his sleep.

The strength the lord kept on the knife disappeared as his stamina wore out. His struggle stopped, rearing the blade back towards his skin.

"S-Sebastian! Where the... Where the bloody hell are you!? Come! This is an order!"

Large hands wrapped tough fingers around the blade of the knife, willing blood from the skin beneath the gloves. The red flowed down from the hand, but the blade was stopped from entering the Lord's neck. Ciel's eyes became soft with a sigh, allowing the boy's free to dissolve away. The faint echo of Lord Phantomhive settled back into the depths of his mind, leaving the puppet once again. The dilated eyes stared to Sebastian's smirking face.

"Now... Do not become so melodramatic, my lord. The tea is simply lukewarm, not ice-cold." The butler chuckled. He ripped the knife from his master, knocking the boy backwards to the ground. With the concern of his master out of the way, he turned back to the last known position of Lord Belial.

Maroon eyes narrowed to the man who had slipped away. He sighed slightly as he straightened his posture. Hands wrapped around the butler's leg as they tried to reach for the knife. This small act gave the demon a smile. He bent down next to Ciel.

"Very good, My Lord. I don't suppose I can leave you like this, though. There's no telling what you may try to use to kill yourself with. I can imagine how creative you could get. Let's try this, then." A smirk replaced any innocent smile.

"Why don't you sit down like a nice little puppy?"

Despite the joking tone Sebastian had used, his master obeyed the command. He sat to the ground, blue eyes staring up for the next order.

"I.." The demon was without words. A loud laugh erupted from his throat.

___I could either have fun with this or chase after the man responsible for it. _

"You give me very tough decisions sometimes, My Lord." He sighed.

"Very well then. How about a little 'meow'? That's all I'll ask for." Sebastian convinced himself that this was it. He would get to work and stop playing with his little toy after just one press of a button.

"Mew."

Silence followed the small word, only interrupted by the loud laughing of a demon.

Perhaps following the man was going to prove harder than he thought.


	18. Chapter 18

"Belial; A deceptively beautiful fallen angel. A name meaning, 'without worth.' Quite ironic, wouldn't you say, Lord Belial? As you seem solely focused on a petty title and lump sum of pounds." The clicking of black loafers interrupted the heavily breathing man. His green eyes flitted backwards, colliding with the image of a blood-stained butler. His narrowed pupils were of suspicion.

"Just what the hell are you!? He stabbed you! I saw how sharp the knife was!" His accusation sent a smirk to Sebastian's lips.

"I wouldn't doubt the sharpness of a Phatnomhive knife. Strong enough to cut through steel would be far too dull." The butler took several steps forward to be interrupted by the man's sudden reach towards his pocket. A shaking pistol was removed, the end pointed towards the demon. An unimpressed look settled to Sebastian.

"I very well doubt you'll be so sarcastic when several bullets hit you." A smirk was finally placed upon Belial's sweating face.

"It was ingenious. I had everything planned out. All I needed was to continue with the injections the old man was getting. He would have been as good as dead. That brat may have screwed up, but that means nothing! No, I can still do it!" Frenzied laughs exploded from the man.

Sebastian frowned.

"So you were poisoning him? I suppose my master was right. You are a man of very cheap methods-"

"SHUT UP! Just..." Belial sighed.

"Shut up.. No one is in my way now." He hands tightened around the pistol. The intense glare locked with maroon pupils.

"Especially a lowly manservant like yourself!"

A shot rang into the air, piercing the fragile scene. The bullet sliced towards the man, hitting him on the chest. More red yet spilled from his abdomen, but the butler moved not an inch. His lowered head only flowered into a smirk.

"Now, Lord Belial, that is where you are wrong."

Sebastian's stride towards the man wiped any smile from his lips. Once again, his finger squeezed against the trigger. A stray bullet made it's way into the butler, but his walk was not stopped.

"I have not been slaving for a stubborn child for this long to be called a mere manservant by the very trash he eliminates."

Red eyes glared to the sweating man they now sat in front of. Despite this, Sebastian still kept his smirk.

A simple flat hand found it's way through the stomach of Lord Belial. Blood streamed down his black jacket, staining the garden's patio a red. Even worse, the gloved hand was forever kept to the red shade. Sebastian bent down next to the man, eyes mere inches from one another.

"I think you would find it best to remember that I am one hell of a butler and not a manservant, Lord Belial." His yanking of the hand sent the man falling backwards. The clatter of the gun was small compared to the blood-curdling scream unleashed by the man.

Sebastian didn't seem to hear, as he was assessing his own damage. Unimpressed eyes trailed over the red gloves and bullet-shredded suit. He let out a sigh.

"Tell me about it. This will take positively forever to mend."

Sebastian now turned his sights back to the Lord.

"Now, I was never ordered to kill you, and I do apologize for acting out of annoyance. What shall we do to make sure your wound won't bleed out?" He smirked.

"How about we cauterize it? I haven't had such fun as that in a couple hundred of years. Now, If you'll remain still..." Sebastian latched a hand onto the man's leg, stopping him from any moving that he may try. With the other free hand, the butler stripped the cloth from his abdomen.

"Or would you prefer I simply rip all of your organs out and try to put them back in? I'm rather curious to see if I could replace them all before you bleed out, and since you've seemed to knock my lord unconscious, we have still some time on our hands."

Huge eyes stared up to the butler, terror stained in the evergreen forests. A small cry of pain escaped his lips, accompanying the tears now streaming down his cheeks.

A match lit in the night, illuminating the face of the demon. He laughed to Belial as he spoke, mocking the man.

"Cauterization it is, then. I'll have to warn you, I'm rather shaky after all those holes you put in me. I am a mere manservant though, aren't I? It's only natural I wouldn't be able to do something so simple. Ever so sorry for this..."

* * *

A lazy blue eye opened, allowing the boy vision of his surroundings. Ciel sat up slowly, yawning.

___Huh?__ His sight drifted to that of a dried pool of blood. _The boy felt just a tad worried until remembering the past memories.

___Ah, yes. That's Sebastian's. Belial showed up, and..._

His hand went to wipe his cut neck, but the boy found himself unable to move any appendage. Ciel's eye widened as he finally looked down.

"W-What...!" A thick rope tied both of his arms behind his back, another tied around his legs. He was completely immobile on the ground. To make matters worse, a small feeling of heaviness settled on his head.

___Is something on me? _

Shaking his head, the boy managed to release the headband placed delicately behind his ears. It landed with minimal noise in front of him. Any sense of self-respect were lost in that moment, replaced only with shock and outrage. A thick blush settled on the boy's cheeks. He clenched his teeth, summoning a glare towards the distant study door. He launched himself forward, landing on his stomach.

"SEBASTIAN! COME HERE NOW! WHAT THE BLOODY HELL WERE YOU THINKING!?"  
His body weight settled upon the headband, smashing the perfectly crafted cat ears. The silk of the black ears was soft he had to admit, but this was no time to be focusing on the finer details of his humiliation.

Ciel's eye wandered to his back, realizing another fact. His clench teeth were replaced by a large gaping of his mouth. The blush on his face turned a passionate red.

___I will ____**kill **____him. I will stab him again. A tail. He made a matching tail. _

Summoning all strength and sense of pride, the Lord Ciel Phantomhive willed all into his scream.

"**SEBASTIAN! I WILL KILL YOU! DO YOU HEAR ME!? SEBASTIAN!" **


	19. Chapter 19

_"__Honestly, what on Earth were you thinking?" With the ropes taken from the boy's arms, he was now able to stand up. Ciel strode away from Sebastian, blue eyes glaring at the slight smirk. The seething anger had melted into a simple annoyance in the large sum of time the butler had been absent. His apprehension of the murderer had also been in the Lord's favour. _

_ Ciel turned towards the window, admiring the outline of the pine trees in the night. His fingers lightly trailed down the skin of his neck, wiping the newly-formed scab off of the cut. He swore lowly before latching a hand onto the newly-trickling blood. _

_ Sebastian roped the long rough pieces of rope around his arm. _

_ "I could not just chase after the criminal, My Lord. Lord Belial had ordered you to kill yourself, so I could not bring myself to leave you alone. You can become rather creative when left alone with toys." He chuckled slightly._

_ Ciel turned back, a new intensity of hate in his eyes._

_ "And what was the bloody point of the cat ears!?" _

_ The butler approached slowly, smile still stuck to his lips. _

_ "Partly for my own enjoyment." His blood-soaked gloves removed the hand Lord Pha__nt__omhive kept over his neck. Carefully accessing the wound, the butler tore a piece of cloth from his coat. __As he__ finished wrapping it around Ciel's neck, he looked up with a smile. _

_ "And partly to teach you to be more cautious when you are vulnerable. It does neither of us any good when you become a simple puppet."_

_ Ciel swatted the gloves away. He backed away with the same sour expression to his face. _

_ "I am no one's puppet." _

_ "__If you don't mind me saying, the queen seems to have had your family on a rather short leash." Sebastian interjected, giving him a harsh look from behind. _

_ "If you believe I am one of her pawns, you are sorely mistaken."__Ciel scoffed. A smirk came to his face, his eyes darting towards the ring on his finger. _

_ "No one controls the Phantomhives. They act upon their own dictation and abide by the rules that they themselves make. If the queen were to stand in my way, I would have no trouble in knocking her down. I only act as her guard dog to satisfy the role of the family, and the social relations that come along with it. I must make them all believe I am a good little puppy that wags it's tail on it's master's command. I am not a pawn." He face Sebastian. _

_ "I am __**king**____." _

_ With those words, the young boy turned on his heel. He strode towards the door, only stopping to glance at the blood-stained floor. _

_ "Honestly, who knew you could bleed so much. Have it cleaned immediately." __With those words, Lord Phantomhive strode out of the room of his now smirking butler. _

_ Sebastian's maroon eyes traced towards the door, admiring the aura left behind by his master. _

_ "That is ____exactly __the type of soul I intend to devour." _

_ The demon followed suite, hands crafting a single swipe over the carpet. In a flash, the red staining the ground had dissolved in a flame, leaving behind the old pattern. The very same happened with the butler's gloves, flashing a spark only to dissolve into the pristine white they had been many hours before. The butler exited, a purple glint in his eyes. _


	20. Chapter 20

The days passed by, not a hint of the case popping up. Everything had resumed where it had been with no memory pointed towards the recent strings of murders. Even the young Phantomhive had all but forgotten about the case. That is, until a certain letter arrived.

* * *

___ Dear Lord Phantomhive, _

___ I assume you find yourself done with the previous case having to do with my family. I only write to reassure you, and to also ask a favour. It's a small and simple one, but I suppose it could cause someone of your busy nature great annoyance. The funeral for my granddaughter is tomorrow, and I ask of your presence. If you could somehow find a small hole in your schedule, I would appreciate your appearance. I know she may have tried to harm you, but I assure you, it was not of her own volition. If you could perhaps forgive her enough to... Well, I suppose some things cannot be forgiven. Nonetheless, I greatly look forward to speaking with you. _

___ Robert Rammarico De Ferreis_

* * *

If you do not mind me saying, I am rather surprised, my lord." The voice of the black butler touched the ears of the boy. Ciel glared, blue eye narrowing to a fine point. This only gave Sebastian a smirk.

"I had thought you to dislike funerals. It only took a letter to make you appear, as well." The Lavender Heather flowers held in Sebastian's hand longed to appear on a grave, a petal falling off in solitude every other step or so.

"Indeed, I do. I find them useless and redundant. What is the point in gathering around a corpse to cry? That is not the reason I am here, though."

The duo crossed through the open gate, the butler's eyes looking over to more than several individuals. Those clad in black walked past the Lord, tears streaming down their cheeks, or faces hidden in shame. He ignored them, blue eye focused to the distance. He caught sight of a hunched silhouette standing where the crying masses had just left. The tall stature of the man defined itself more as the two approached.

"Lord De Ferreis expressed his wishes to speak with me. One would not dare to miss an audience with someone as influential and powerful as he is." With those words, Ciel approached the man.

The deep brown eyes of the man shifted over to Ciel, a sad smile meeting him. The man straightened his posture, extending a hand towards the Lord.

"It's rather pleasant to meet you when I am not in the process of planning how to have my body dealt with." He chuckled, wrinkles fully expressed.

"I'd much rather die than have to decide a coffin or mere ashes."

The morbid humor faded rather quickly as Robert glanced back over to the stone he stood in front of.

The freshly dug dirt held many flowers on it, all different in mass and color. Ciel seemed rather awkward to decide the place to set his, but he finally decided upon a side area.

"Thank you for coming, Ciel." The man expressed his deepest thanks, yet all Ciel could do was give a solemn nod in return.

"She seemed to be a rather nice individual, despite what her uncle had manipulated her into doing." Truly, he felt no strong feelings towards the girl. She was simply a fallen pawn, used by the very man she had trusted.

"Yes, she was. You have been made aware of Belial's confession, have you not?" Robert stuffed his hands into his pockets, eyelids drooping as he eyed the words etched into the stone.

"Yes, I have. He used his position as her true father against her. He claimed that if the secret were to come out, her fake father would most likely throw her out and she would never be a part of the household again. Not only that, The late lady De Ferreis..." Ciel looked away, as the facts of the case had been farther twisted than he had thought.

"Yes, it was a forced pregnancy. I was not aware. My own son, forcing himself onto his sister-in-law..." Robert sighed.

"Her death, as you know, was explained as an accident, yet that was not true. I can now see why her paranoia and anxiety had driven her to.."

"To take her own life?" He had thought so. The beautiful lady De Ferreis, mother of a child by her brother-in-law, could not bare the fact of the child not being her husband's. And so, she took it upon herself to carve out the cruelties that had been dealt to her, even if that meant carving herself.

"Everetta was so similar to her mother. Her only goal was to please others. Growing up, she would always look for the praise I gave her, completely forgetting about herself in the process. Perhaps I am to blame for this."

"No, I don't believe so." Ciel's eye followed Robert's, letting both of them stare to the headstone. The man chuckled, shrugging weakly.

"No, I don't suppose so, either. It doesn't lessen my guilt any, though. She was my granddaughter, the one that I was supposed to protect, even when I could not see the one harming her. I feel so utterly useless." Robert De Ferries turned, his chocolate eyes soft as they looked to the sky.

Not a cloud drifted by, giving the day a bright feeling that was so unlike a funeral.

"Do you have anyone you would like to protect like that, Ciel?"

Images of curled pigtails, circular glasses, straw hats, and a lit cigarette filled the boy's mind. They left a bittersweet flavour, yet the boy shook his head.

"No, I don't." To have no attachments was for the best. He could leave this world with no sorrow and no regret.

David smiled.

"How lucky you are."  
Robert turned back to Ciel, extending his hand for the second time.

"Once again, I thank you for coming. I'm sure it puts Eva's mind to rest to know that you have no lingering anger."

Ciel took the hand, shaking it under the old man's tough grip. He could hardly believe this man had been on his death bed.

"She was simply a puppet of her grandfather, yet I don't house any particular feelings of hate towards him, either. He was a player who had hesitated. What I find odd is that you don't seem to dislike me. I was the one who apparently tore apart your family and took your granddaughter away." The handshake he was receiving was warm and kind, not cold and mechanical like he had expected.

A small smile appeared onto a grey haired man's face.

"Who truly has time for hatred anymore? I'm too old to hang onto petty things such as that. Even more, with Eva gone," His hand trailed across the stone, a distant memory coming back.

"I don't have time have for much of anything but memories." Robert turned on his black loafers, brown eyes pointed towards the distant gate.

"Goodbye, Lord Phantomhive. I wish you the best, and if you ever think of expanding into the perfume trade, remember that the De Ferreis manor will always offer you any assistance they can."

With these words, the old man began a rather slow and measured walk. It was several minutes before he had reached the gate, and even more seconds before he was helped into a nearby carriage. Ciel was left to the grave, his eyes tracing to the letters carved into the stone.

___Everetta ____Inga De Ferreis- Daughter- Loved and Cherished by all, Remembered by Many- 1871-1887_

___ Almost laughable. Those remembering her will eventually fade, leaving her only mark on the world as a crumbling block of rock. _

Ciel's stare was only interrupted by the slight sound of a man behind him. He had nearly forgotten of the butler, but with the small noise, the image had flashed back to his mind. The boy turned, maroon eyes staring past him onto the gravestone.

"So she had become influenced by her need to please her uncle, and the guilt of being his bastard child. Do you suppose he told her of his forced relations upon the late lady De Ferries?" The demon's mind was still stuck upon the juicy details, but Ciel's eyes told him of his disinterest.

"No, I don't suppose he would stand to gain anything from telling her. Why the sudden pique of interest? You don't usually seem this interested in a normal case. One without Death Gods or Demon Hounds, anyway."

Sebastian smirked, placing a hand towards his mouth in thought.

"I find it rather amusing that a man's lust is the root of all of it, that is all, my Lord. His drive to conquer his brother's beautiful wife resulted in the child she killed herself for having, and the child responsible for so many random deaths. A single event, snowballing and causing so much more. So very true of anything, I suppose."

This observation did nothing to Ciel's expression.

"Is that all? I would like to arrive back to the manor before the sun goes down." The demanding tone did not shake the smirk Sebastian's lips. He bowed slightly, hand pressing onto his breast.

"Of course, My Lord."

For the last time, Ciel's blue eye ran over the name of Everetta De Ferreis, surely storing her fleeting and broken image at the very depths of his mind, along with all the others he had lost. There, her appearance would fade with every day that passed, making her image more and more unrecognizable before the boy would all together forget the happy softness in the emerald eyes looking for the praise she never truly received.

Until the day he had forgotten the happiness he saw in her, so like all the others he had, too, forgotten.

Thank you for reading. (And I do intend to write more Kuroshitsuji works, so if you enjoy my writing style, I suggest you stick around!)


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